Convicted Of Car Dealership Robbery
Jurors took less than an hour to find a Bronx man guilty last Wednesday, May 23, of robbing a Woodside automobile dealership at gunpoint during a heist in October 2006, prosecutors announced.
Rafael Then, 28, was convicted of first- and second-degree robbery charges at the end of a week-long trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth R. Holder. Sentencing is scheduled to take place on June 7; Then faces up to 25 years behind bars, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
“[Then] has now been found guilty of robbing a hard-working car dealership worker by threatening him with a handgun at his place of business,” Brown said in a statement last Thursday. “[He] is a menace to society and must be removed from our streets. This conviction ensures that [Then] will be severely punished for his actions.”
Law enforcement sources said the trouble began at around 5 p.m. on the afternoon of Oct. 15, 2006 at the Baron Auto Mall, located at 55-11 Northern Blvd.
Reportedly, the robbery victim had moved a 2003 Lexus GS 300 onto the sidewalk as he was helping staff members close the dealership for the day when Then walked by him.
According to trial testimony, Then yelled at the victim after he left the Lexus and walked away. When the worker turned around, authorities said, Then pointed a gun at him and demanded the keys to the luxury car.
After obtaining the keys, Then told the victim to enter the dealership and say nothing; the defendant reportedly got inside the vehicle and sped away.
Police were contacted about the theft, and an investigation was launched. Less than two weeks after the theft, authorities noted, officers in the Bronx-while using a mobile plate reader to search for stolen autos-found the stolen Lexus the robbery in the vicinity of Clay Avenue and 173rd Street in the Claremont section of the borough.
The officers then conducted surveillance outside the car and arrested Then after spotting him entering the stolen Lexus, law enforcement sources said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Patricia M. Theodorou, supervisor in the D.A.’s Career Criminals Major Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys James W. Evangelou, bureau chief, and Robert J. Hanophy, deputy bureau chief.
