CENTRAL ISLIP (WABC) -- A grand jury has indicted alleged
members of a sophisticated burglary crew that victimized Long Island businesses
and residents for more than three years and stole more than $10-million in cash
and property.
Victor Arias, Rafael Astacio, Michael Figueroa, Nikitas
Margiellos, and Leonard Repka are charged with conspiracy and the interstate
transportation of stolen property.
Astacio, who was a detective with the New York City Police
Department at the time of the burglaries, was also charged with unlawfully
accessing a database that was maintained by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
"The crew relied upon weapons of force as well as
modern technology to steal millions from both homes and businesses alike,"
United States Attorney Lync said. "(Astacio) sold his badge and his honor
in exchange for his share of their ill-gotten gains."
"As charged, Astacio not only turned his back on the
community he promised to protect, he also betrayed his fellow law enforcement
officers for a chance to line his pockets with his victims' hard-earned
money," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Venizelos said.
According to the indictment and court filings, between 2009
and 2012, the sophisticated burglary crew led by Nikitas Margiellos committed
approximately three dozen commercial burglaries and ten residential burglaries
in the Eastern District of New York stealing approximately $10,000,000 in cash
and property.
To carry out the burglaries, invesitgators said the crew
used both traditional burglary tools, such as blow torches, crowbars, wire
cutters, and sledge hammers, as well as modern technology, including cell phone
jammers and police scanners.
They allegedly often conducted surveillance of their
burglary victims to determine when the victims would be out of their homes and
businesses. On at least one occasion, authorities said the crew even installed
a tracking device on a victim's car to assist in that endeavor.
In one instance, investigators said Arias, Figueroa,
Margiellos, and Repka burglarized a business in Plainview, New York, while
Astacio and another coconspirator monitored a police scanner and acted as
lookouts.
According to investigators, they spent approximately three and a half
hours in the business and stole more than 45,000 pairs of Under Armour, Hobie,
and other sunglasses that were worth approximately $3,000,000. They allegedly
took the stolen property across state lines and sold some of the sunglasses on
the Internet.
During another burglary, members of the crew allegedly stole
approximately $2,000,000 in cash from a plastic surgeon's office located in
Nassau County.
If convicted, Arias, Figueroa, Margiellos, and Repka each
face a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, and Astacio faces 17 years
imprisonment.
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