Brooklyn Man Gets Up To Life In Prison For Queens Break-Ins: DA

RIDGEWOOD, QUEENS -- A Brooklyn man who admitted breaking into a string of homes in Queens could spend the rest of his life paying for it, prosecutors said Friday.

Paul Rodriguez, 39, of Sunset Park, was sentenced to 12 years to life in prison on Thursday after he pleaded guilty last month to three attempted burglaries in Ridgewood between November 2016 and April 2017.

“Over the span of six months, the defendant brazenly busted through locked doors and windows to steal the property of others," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Rodriguez first attempted to break into an apartment on Harman Street near Irving Avenue through the fire escape on Nov. 4, 2016, police said. He left behind a screwdriver, and investigators eventually matched the DNA recovered from it with Rodriguez's.

He attempted two more break-ins before he was caught: On Feb. 23, 2017, he tried to break into another apartment on Seneca Avenue through a fire escape, and on April 5, 2017, he tried to pry open the front door of an apartment on 48th Street, court records say.

"Not only did he violate the sanctity of the victims’ homes, he caused damage that forced the occupants to dig into their pockets to secure their homes again," Brown said.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court to three counts of second-degree attempted burglary .

Lead photo via Shutterstock.