Queens Man Gets 20 Years In Prison For 2018 North Shore Burglary Spree

MINEOLA, NY—A 24-year-old Queens man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in a string of 2018 burglaries that took more than $1 million from homes on the North Shore of Nassau County, the Nassau County District Attorney's office announced on Wednesday.

Andres Zapata was convicted in April for heading up a burglary ring with co-defendant Brayan Castano, 34, also of Queens. The two targeted homes in gated communities in Old Westbury, Manhasset, Jericho and Woodbury between May and September 2018.

“Andres Zapata and his co-defendants brazenly burglarized homes on the North Shore, smashing rear windows and doors to gain access and making off with cash, jewelry, and other luxury items,” District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a news release.

“This sophisticated burglary operation was ended when Nassau County Police Department officers caught these individuals in the act and arrested them. Today’s sentence holds Zapata accountable for his unsettling crime spree.”

The men accumulated over $1 million in cash, jewelry and handbags, Donnelly's office said, and entered homes through rear windows and doors, always on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights.

Castano received a sentence of 30 years in June.