Alleged "James Bond Gang" Burglars Plead Not Guilty

Two alleged members of a Bergen County burglary crew that authorities have said is an offshoot of the notorious "James Bond Gang" pleaded not guilty in Sussex County this week.

Leevan Lawrence, 31, of Englewood, Courry Rice, 30, of Hackensack, entered their pleas before Newtown Superior Court Judge N. Peter Conforti, according to the New Jersey Herald. Sparta police arrested both men in February alongside 32-year-old Jerry Montgomery, of Teaneck.

The trio faces third-degree theft, third-degree conspiracy to commit burglary and theft, fourth-degree criminal mischief and third-degree burglary charges.

Lawrence was released on $100,000 bail while Montgomery and Rice were held on $500,000 and $200,000 cash only bail respectively.

Acting on information provided by Bergen County detectives, Sparta police stopped a minivan the crew was riding in shortly after they had burglarized a Sussex County home, according to police. Cops told Patch they found a pillow case stuffed with $2,000 in reportedly stolen jewelry at the scene. 

Montgomery has an extensive criminal record and was out on bail when he allegedly burglarized the Sparta home. He was charged in 2011 after a high-speed chase and crash, also in Sparta, police said.  

Montgomery, a longtime Teaneck resident, is suspected in a string of break-ins across North Jersey. Sussex County authorities called him the leader of a new incarnation of Bergen-based "James Bond Gang" active in the 80s and 90s. 

The original burglary gang got its 007 nickname after reportedly using a souped-up BMW outfitted with secret compartments to evade police and break into hundreds of homes across the area. 

Follow New Milford Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to sign-up for our daily newsletter and get local news like this delivered to your in-box.