RIDGEWOOD — A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 10 years in prison April 10 after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, cameras and computer equipment from nearly a dozen homes in Ridgewood, Forest Hills, Ozone Park and Howard Beach, the Queens DA said.
Mario Girau, 29, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property last month, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Queens Criminal Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brandt later sentenced him to a decade in prison, according to Brown.
“The defendant is a serial burglar who targeted homes throughout Queens County, terrorizing homeowners by his unlawful intrusions and stealing their valued possessions,” Brown said in a statement. “The sentence imposed today by the court is a just resolution of the matter.”
Girau’s attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.
The DA said police were investigating a pattern of residential burglaries Sept. 19, 2013, when they noticed Girau driving a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica through residential neighborhoods and stopping to look through windows of several homes.
Officers then saw him enter a Tahoe Street residence and commit a burglary, according to the DA.
He was arrested and police recovered jewelry and burglar’s tools, Brown said.
Once at Girau’s home, the DA said officers found property later identified as stolen from 10 burglary victims. The DA said the items included a Canon camera that was returned to its Ridgewood owner by tracking down images taken of a bridge in a Connecticut wedding.
Although that burglary occurred in 2011, police said the other 10 incidents happened in 2013.
