Three individuals — one from Maspeth and another from Jamaica — who plagued four Queens precincts by burglarizing elderly people in their homes have finally been caught, law enforcement sources said.
According to police, on Aug. 26, investigators from the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force arrested the trio connected to the burglary pattern within the confines of the 104th, 110th, 111th and 115th precincts.
The individuals would target elderly persons by posing as utility workers, or they used children in order to gain entry in their victims’ homes, cops said. Once inside, the thieves would remove property from the residences.
In connection to these burglaries, police have arrested the following people:
- Rosie Cristo, 32, of 69th Lane in Maspeth, and charged her with burglary as a hate crime, burglary, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny;
- Tony Cristo, 35, of 141st Street in Jamaica, and charged him with burglary as a hate crime, two counts of burglary, grand larceny, possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny and aggravated unlicensed operator; and
- Theresa Howard, 36, of Staten Island, and charged her with burglary as a hate crime, burglary, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny, and false personation.
Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, the New York Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance with information about similar incidents or may have come in contact with these individuals. Contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls and messages will be confidential.
