A Federal Court judge recently sentenced the leader of a burglary ring to a term of incarceration of 25 years in federal prison.

Over the past 20 years, Daniel “Tokyo” Gatson has gained notoriety, and infamy, as the leader of a crime organization responsible for more than two dozen break-ins, burglaries, and thefts across six states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Gatson is a former resident of Cliffside Park and North Bergen, NJ. According to The Record, Gatson used rented mini-vans so that he could blend into residential neighborhoods. He would then break into various homes in the neighborhoods, stealing cash and valuable property from the residences. Although Gatson was released from NJ State Prison in November 2012 after serving a 10-year sentence, he got right back into the criminal underworld. According to Bergen County prosecutors, Gatson actually recruited burglary crew members while he was in prison. Just 11 days after being released from state prison, Gatson reportedly started his next round of burglaries in New Jersey.

There were several notable victims of Gatson’s crimes, including Patrick Ewing, former New York Knicks center; Jeffrey Vanderbeek, a former owner of the New Jersey Devils; and Jarret Jack, a member of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

During the investigation into Gatson’s alleged criminal activity, authorities installed a GPS tracking device on Gatson’s mini-van and recorded his crew’s phone conversations as they committed the burglaries and thefts. The criminal organization reportedly committed five burglaries in Bergen County: two burglaries in Old Tappan NJ, one burglary in Upper Saddle River, one burglary in Alpine, and one burglary in Mahwah.

Gatson was eventually arrested once again. This time, he faced federal criminal charges in a US District Court.

After a lengthy trial, Gatson was convicted of on federal charges of conspiracy and transporting stolen property over state lines. Now Gatson has beeen sentenced to more than two decades behind bars after being convicted in federal court.

For additional information about the burglary enterprise and the suspect’s conviction, please read Northjersey.com or The Record article, “Leader of North Jersey burglary crew that stole millions gets 25-year prison term.”