He traveled to NYC during holidays. He returned with thousands of dollars in jewelry, police said.
People travel from all corners of the globe to New York City for shopping. Florida man Samuel Sabatino was no different: he just saved a few dollars, police said.
The 81-year-old Miami resident was arrested Saturday in Manhattan on multiple grand larceny and burglary charges, according to the New York Police Department. Sabatino is accused of stealing more than $100,000 worth of jewelry from multiple residences in the past six months.
Dubbed the “Holiday Bandit” by the New York media, the octogenarian primarily struck during the holiday season when people tended to be on vacation, police said. Each incident described in the criminal complaint occurred around Memorial Day, July 4, or, most recently, Labor Day.
Police say Sabatino targeted apartment buildings on the Upper East Side, always taking luxury items like high-end watches, diamond rings and other expensive things. NBC 4-New York first reported that each burglary followed a similar pattern: Sabatino would drive to the city from Miami, slip past doormen into the elevator, pick locks then slip away.
Although he’s being charged with crimes from 2019, investigators believe he may have committed a dozen burglaries that date back to 2014.
Court records show Sabatino has a history of theft. Florida’s Southern District Court convicted him of helping to transport stolen goods in 1992. He later served time in New York for second-degree burglary.
This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 7:01 PM.
