Report: Feds Close in on Crew Accused of Burglarizing Lindy Home

The FBI is zeroing in on an alleged crew of burglars and robbers that included an NYPD detective who was purportedly caught burglarizing a Lindenhurst home in June, according to a New York Daily News report.

The alleged ringleader of the group, Paul Adams, was indicted by federal prosecutors this month for a string of stick-ups in Long Island, Queens and Connecticut, according to court papers noted in the report, and he’s being held without bail.

Adams, 46, was acting as a look-out for a break-in at a home in Lindenhurst this past Summer, according to the report.

Off-duty Detective Rafael Astacio was also allegedly caught in the act, purportedly fleeing with $2,500 worth of jewelry, according to court records noted in the report.

Astacio, who lives in Copiague, was released after his arrest in July, the report said, but suspended from the force without pay.

The FBI and the Brooklyn United States Attorney Loretta Lynch have been building a case against the crime crew, as well as examining Astacio's work as a vice cop and sex crimes investigator for the NYPD, sources said in the report.

More federal arrests on the robbery conspiracy charges are expected, although it’s unclear whether or not the detective will be among those hauled in, according to the report.

A federal conviction for armed robbery carries a sentence of up to 20 years on each count, the report said, and Adams is facing three federal counts.

Astacio, the detective, is scheduled to be arraigned on the state burglary case in Suffolk County Supreme Court this week, the report indicated.

Adams is also charged with the home-invasion robbery of a counterfeit cigarette dealer in Maspeth, Queens, on October 12, 2007, the report said.

To read the full report click here.

Related:

• Report: Feds Close in on Crew Accused of Burglarizing Lindenhurst Home
• Report: NYPD Detective Caught Burglarizing Lindenhurst Home