Defendants are being prosecuted on felony charges in connection to recent home break-ins and retail theft. bail set in most cases; as high as 100k; repeat shoplifter in Yonkers arrested, held.
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah recently announced a crackdown on burglaries and robberies across Westchester County highlighting a string of felony charges for defendants arrested in connection with recent alleged break-ins and theft at homes and local businesses.
DA Rocah said: “Ensuring residents feel safe at home or when doing business in Westchester is an important priority for the DA’s Office. The latest indictments and charges for recent incidents across Westchester should send a strong message that my Office and the 42 police departments we work with on a daily basis across this county remain committed to protecting Westchester residents and businesses.”
The following select cases of interest note indictments and arraignments of defendants between January 1 and April 12 of 2023 charged with felonies connected to home or business burglaries and robberies:
The Yonkers Police Department arrested Damien Anthony Arias, 25, on February 12 for allegedly stealing 43 pairs of sneakers valued at more than $1,100 from Burlington Coat Factory in Yonkers. The defendant was arraigned on February 14 in Yonkers City Court, where he was charged with Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, both felonies, and False Personation, a misdemeanor. On April 12, the defendant was arraigned on 24 felony counts (Burglary in the Third Degree and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree) for allegedly stealing a total of $17,480.00 in merchandise from Marshalls in Yonkers over 13 different occasions in January and February. Bail was set at $5,000cash/$50,000 bond/$100,000 partially-secured bond, which is in addition to bail set at $5,000 cash/$20,000 bond for prior cases in 2022, and $1 for the February 12 case. The defendant had two bench warrants out of Yonkers–one for an incident in September 2022 (Petit Larceny, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, a misdemeanor) and another in December 2022 (Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a felony)–for allegedly stealing merchandise from Marshalls in Yonkers. The defendant is currently in custody and scheduled back in court April 26.
The Mount Vernon Police Department arrested Nathaniel Gordon, 65, of Mount Vernon, on January 20 for allegedly breaking into two Mount Vernon homes (one home twice on the same day) and stealing three laptops, cooking pots and a tool bag. The defendant was also charged with attempting to break into a home he previously burglarized, and another residence, in Mount Vernon. The defendant was indicted by a Westchester County Grand Jury for three counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Attempted Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, and two counts of Petit Larceny. He was arraigned on the indictment in Westchester County Court on April 4, and remanded.
The New Rochelle Police Department arrested a Suffolk County man, Michael Bagley, 32, of Corham, on March 16 for allegedly robbing and assaulting an employee of a downtown New Rochelle business before fleeing on foot into a nearby residential neighborhood where he robbed a second victim on the street, and then breaking into a home occupied by a homeowner and a minor child. The defendant was arraigned in New Rochelle City Court on March 17 for Robbery in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Burglary in the Second Degree, and Robbery in the Third Degree, all felonies, and Unlawful Imprisonment in the Second Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, both misdemeanors. He was remanded.
Sleepy Hollow Police Department arrested two Queens men, William Sierra-Galeano, 57 and Cristian Eduardo Espinosa-Silva, 26, on March 16 for a residential burglary in Sleepy Hollow on March 4 where they allegedly stole approximately $40,000 cash and $20,000 worth in jewelry. Both defendants were arraigned March 16 on felony charges of Burglary in the Second Degree. Bail was set at $50,000 cash/$100,000 bond/$200,000 partially-secured bond with 10%. This followed their arrest by Dobbs Ferry Police Department on March 15, along with a third Queens man, Manuel Marin-Jimenez, 42, for a residential burglary in Dobbs Ferry where they allegedly stole cash, jewelry and handbags valued at approximately $25,000. All three defendants were arraigned for the Dobbs Ferry incident on March 16 in the Village of Dobbs Ferry Court on felony charges of Burglary in the Second Degree. Bail was set for Sierra-Galeano at $2,000 cash/$10,000 bond, $50,000 partially-secured bond; for Marin-Jimenez at $4,000 cash/$20,000 bond/$100,000 partially-secured bond; and for Espinosa-Silva $4,000 cash/$15,000 bond/$100,000 partially-secured bond. Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Irvington, Hastings and Ardsley police assisted with the arrests.
Harrison and North Castle police arrested four men, Oscar Dario Nino Franco, 42, Andres Felipe Albarracin Rodriguez, 34, and Jonathan Alejandro Cogua Osuna, 40, on March 10 and Javier Nino-Franco, 44, on March 28, for allegedly using force to enter a North Castle home and stealing approximately $4,000 in coins. Franco, Rodriguez and Osuna were arraigned on March 10 and Nino-Franco on March 28 in North Castle Justice Court on the felony charge of Burglary in the Second Degree. Bail was set for all four defendants at $100,000 cash/$250,000 bond/$500,000 partially-secured bond; after a review by a Westchester County Court judge the bail was increased for Nino-Franco to $200,000 cash/$500,000 bond/$1 million partially-secured bond.
Yorktown Police Department arrested two NYC residents, Shayolanda Lewis-Major, 24 and Dasani Mack, 21, on March 7 for allegedly stealing merchandise valued at more than $5,000 from Ulta Beauty in the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights. The defendants were arraigned on March 7. Lewis-Major was charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a felony, and both defendants were charged with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree.
New Rochelle Police Department arrested two New Rochelle males, Brandon Scott, 18, and one juvenile defendant, on March 7 in connection to multiple robberies that occurred in the West End area of New Rochelle. Scott was arraigned on March 8 in New Rochelle City Court on two felony counts of Robbery in the Second Degree; and the juvenile defendant was arraigned in Youth Court.
Keith Olson, President of the Yonkers PBA, said, “The District Attorney’s press release shines a light on the amazing work and diligence of our local police officers and detectives. Our police officers continue to arrest, and in many cases, rearrest those most responsible for the uptick in crime. Despite the difficulties of dealing with the so called criminal justice reforms, local law enforcement continues to keep our communities safe.”
