Serial Burglary Suspect Held Without Bail At Murrieta Detention Center

MURRIETA, CA — A serial burglar who broke into multiple properties in Riverside, including government offices, and stole thousands of dollars pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of burglary and one count of receiving stolen property.

Michael Aria Javdani, 27, of Riverside, admitted the felony counts under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors agreed to drop more than a dozen related charges against him.

The plea deal was reached during a status hearing before Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dec. 14 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Javdani remains held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

The probationer perpetrated the break-ins between March and June.

"It was good old-fashioned police work that led our detectives to identifying this repeat offender breaking into our local businesses," Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said in June.

According to police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, after investigators positively identified Javdani as the person who burglarized a business in the 2000 block of Iowa Avenue, during which several thousand dollars was extracted from an ATM, they probed further into similar break-ins and found evidence tying the convicted felon to each one.

"He would break into the business and steal money from the cash register, steal money from the safe, and in two cases, steal the safe," Railsback said. "These businesses included a sushi restaurant, local tea spot and sandwich shop. He struck the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services building and the VIP Nightclub twice, stealing several thousand dollars from an ATM machine and safe, and causing significantly more in damage to the buildings."

Railsback said Javdani used a stolen $2,000 motorized skateboard to make his getaway on several occasions.

While the probationer was in jail, awaiting disposition of several cases, detectives served search warrants at his residence in the 4000 block of Sedgwick Avenue and discovered evidence pointing to his involvement in the other burglaries, "as well as a loaded and unregistered handgun," Railsback said.

Gonzalez said the property in the residence was confirmed stolen thanks in large part to owners keeping meticulous records.

"It's an important reminder to keep records on expensive and unique property, just in case anything were to happen," the chief said. "Because the owner of the skateboard kept a receipt with his serial number, along with his tenacity (posting alerts about the theft) on social media, he's back riding it again."

Court records show Javdani has multiple burglary convictions in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.