Defendant: German Martinez (DOB 05/25/78)
Feb. 26, 2020 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced German Martinez of Yonkers was indicted Tuesday (Jan. 25) by a Westchester County Grand Jury for multiple private home burglaries throughout Westchester. The spree started the day after Christmas and continued into the first week of the New Year. The charges stem from 10 separate incidents.
Martinez was arraigned before Westchester County Court Judge Anne Minihan on 21 counts:
- Two counts of Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony
- One count of Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony
- Six counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony
- One count Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, a class D felony
- One count Burglary in the Third Degree, a class D felony
- Six counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a class E felony
- One count of Possession of Burglar’s Tools, a misdemeanor
Martinez’s bail was set at $500,000 cash/$1 million bond/$2 million secured bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 3, 2020.
Background
The indictment alleges, German Martinez broken into a number of Westchester residences in a burglary spree from Dec. 26, 2019, through Jan. 4, 2020, where he stole property, and/or threatened or injured victims at the scene. Stolen property included cash, jewelry, laptop computers and other items. In some cases, he broke a window to gain entry or forced his way in using a crowbar. During one burglary, Martinez threatened a victim with a knife and, in another, he injured a victim at the scene.
Prosecutors allege, Martinez hired taxis with unwitting drivers to take him to the locations and told them to await his return. Tracking license plate readers (LPRs) in the vicinity of the burglaries, police interviewed one of the cab drivers who was able to give police the defendant’s phone number. From there the case came together. He was subsequently arrested in Yonkers Jan. 7, 2020.
Locations:
Dec. 26, 30, and 31: three locations in Tarrytown (one house twice) and one in Dobbs Ferry.
Jan. 2: three locations–two in Yonkers and one in Sleepy Hollow.
Jan. 3: White Plains
Jan. 4: Rye
The investigation into this series of burglaries was a collaboration of local police departments including Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, Yonkers, Sleepy Hollow, White Plains, Rye, Westchester County Police, the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigators and the Investigations Division Pattern Burglary Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steven Vandervelden and Assistant District Attorney Stefanie DeNise of the Investigations Division.
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In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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