Shomrim Trio Caught Up in Shocking Bromley Moped Scam
Two men tied to the Shomrim, a London neighbourhood watch, have landed behind bars over a fake moped robbery claim. Thiago Alves, 38, sentenced to eight months, and Michael Scher, 32, handed a five-month suspended sentence, both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Wood Green Crown Court.
False Allegations Land Innocent Teens in Custody
The case kicked off on the evening of 3 July 2017, when police were alerted that two boys, aged 13 and 15, had been detained by Shomrim members in Stamford Hill for allegedly attempting to rob Alves. According to their story, the teens demanded Alves’s moped keys and pushed him.
Alves, a delivery driver, along with Scher and Yaakov Nowogrodski, 27—also from the Shomrim—signed sworn statements backing the claims. The boys, both previously of good character, were arrested and spent 16 hours locked up awaiting questioning.
CCTV Clears Teens, But Conspirators Flee Justice
Detectives dug deeper, reviewing CCTV footage that completely dismantled the Shomrim men’s story. The boys were nowhere near Alves and made no attempt to steal the moped. They were swiftly released and the spotlight turned on Alves, Scher, and Nowogrodski.
Alves was arrested on 6 July, Scher and Nowogrodski on 12 July 2017. While Alves and Scher faced sentencing, Nowogrodski vanished abroad. A warrant is out for his arrest.
Police Slam ‘Despicable Deception’
“The officers who attended that night acted in good faith, but were deceived by a deliberate criminal conspiracy,” said Detective Sergeant James Leeks. “It is regrettable, that as a result, two young men were arrested and detained. Their arrest and loss of liberty would have been traumatic for both them and their families.
“Thankfully, investigating officers found CCTV evidence that exonerated these young men. Had it not been for their diligence, this could have been a gross miscarriage of justice. Why these men fabricated the case may never be known, but abusing the justice system in such an underhand way is disgraceful.
“Those responsible for this despicable deception will now face the consequences.”
