$23K Thefts From Donation Centers In Loudoun County Prompt Sentence

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Burglaries of nonprofit donation centers led to a prison sentence for a New York man in Loudoun County Circuit Court last Thursday.

Louis Thomas Menatac, 61, had been convicted of one count of breaking and entering, one count of possession of burglarious tools, and one count of wearing a mask in public to conceal identity. Menatac was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was ordered to pay more than $23,000 in restitution to the nonprofit, the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney said.

The sentence is tied to summer 2024 burglaries of nonprofit donation centers, which Loudoun Now said were two Goodwill stores. In summer 2024, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office was looking for a suspect in the burglaries of Goodwill stores in the 22000 block of Enterprise Street and 45000 block of Manifest Boulevard in Sterling.

According to prosecutors, Menatac traveled from New York with the intent of breaking into nonprofit donation centers to steal cash. He targeted charitable nonprofits because they use cash more frequently for their low-priced items.

Prosecutors say Menatac arrived at one location in Sterling after business hours, wearing a stocking mask and gloves to hide his identity. He then removed alarm boxes from the donation center's rear exterior doors and entered the store. Menatac disabled a security camera in the main office and used burglary tools to cut into the store's safe. He took $9,000 in cash.

Overall, Menatac's burglaries caused $23,114 in losses to the donation centers. When arresting Menatac, law enforcement found a notebook with addresses of nonprofit donation centers. The two Loudoun County locations had checkmarks written.

"Targeting a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, that exists to provide free job training, education, and employment services for people with disabilities, disadvantages, or other barriers to employment is despicable," said Commonwealth's Attorney Bob Anderson. "We hope that this sentence sends the message that the legal community in Loudoun takes these types of crimes very seriously."

The judge gave Menatac a sentence above the sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors had argued that Menatac had a criminal history involving nine states from the East Coast to the West Coast. His first convictions were in 1982, and more followed over the decades. Prosecutors believe he does not have any ties to Loudoun County and came to steal from nonprofit stores.

Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap