NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Five people were charged with perpetrating a gun-point home invasion robbery of the home of a small business owner in Orange County, New York, prosecutors announced on Thursday.
Bhupinderjit Singh, 26, Elijaih Roman, 22, Corey Hall, 45, Erik Suarez, 24, and Divya Kumari, 26, were arrested and charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, according to Edward Y. Kim, the acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.
According to court documents, on Dec. 1, 2024, Singh, Roman, Hall, Suarez, and Kumari planned a gun-point home invasion robbery near the Town of Wallkill. When they arrived at the house, Singh, Roman, Hall, and Suarez allegedly forced the homeowner and his daughter, who is approximately 10 years old, into the house at gunpoint.
When Singh, Roman, Hall, and Suarez allegedly entered the home, the victim’s wife was sitting with the couple’s other three children, who ranged from approximately two to nine years old.
Singh, Roman, Hall, and Suarez then allegedly zip tied the hands and legs of both the victim and his wife and placed the couple on the couch next to their children, according to prosecutors.
Some of the suspects then allegedly began to search throughout the house, while another armed with a small black pistol kept an eye on the victim and his family.
At one point, the victim’s daughter begged the robbers to not hurt her parents and said that she would tell them where the family stored their valuables. One of the suspects tool the victim’s daughter to the house’s master bedroom where there was a safe, but she daughter was unable to get the safe open, prosecutors said.
The robbers then took the daughter back to her parents and forced the victim’s wife to come with them instead. Once in the bedroom, the victim’s wife opened the safe and watched as the robbers removed from it, among other items, numerous pieces of jewelry and approximately $10,000 in cash.
While the robbery was ongoing, Kumari, of Massapequa, allegedly was waiting near the victim’s home acting as a lookout. Eventually, Singh, of South Ozone Park, Roman, of Far Rockaway, Hall, of Saint Albans, and Suarez, of Elmhurst, allegedly left the victim’s house with various stolen items.
Singh, Roman, Hall, and Suarez are additionally charged with one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.