Credit: Metro Photo Archive
Two men made off with a big chunk of cash and a box of cremated human ashes in a series of burglaries across Queens over the last six months, borough District Attorney Richard A. Brown said on Tuesday.
Randolph Ardilia, 29, of Maspeth, and Raheim West, 37, of Long Island City, have been charged separately with the break-ins, which targetedprivate residences as well as a Flushing church and community center.
“The defendants are accused of brazenly committing a rash of burglaries across a wide swath of Queens County – including the neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Glendale, Ozone Park, Flushing, College Point and Corona,” Brown said in a statement. “According to the charges, nobody was safe from the crimes allegedly perpetrated by the defendants – including the dead. In one instance, a box containing the cremated remains of a loved one was allegedly stolen from a burglarized apartment.”
Ardila was arraigned on Sunday on charges including two counts of second-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree attempted burglary. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted and is being held on $150,000 bail.
West’s charges includedtwo counts of second-degree attempted burglary, four counts of third-degree burglary and one count of fourth-degree grand larceny. Hefaces up to 28 years and his bail was set at $200,000.
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