FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
Following Burglary Spree of Homes and Businesses in Bensonhurst
Defendant Stole More than $150,000 Worth of Jewelry and Cash
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for committing a string of burglaries in Bensonhurst between August 2022 and January 2023. Of the burglaries, two were of private dwellings and four were local stores.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “These prison sentences reflect the seriousness of the crimes these serial burglars committed and send a strong message that this conduct will not be tolerated in Brooklyn. My office takes property crime and retail theft very seriously, and I’m grateful to our partners and the NYPD for their excellent work holding these defendants accountable.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as John Catullo, 55, of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 10 years in prison on two indictments where the defendant committed seven burglaries. The defendant initially pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary on November 16, 2023, in satisfaction of all the charges for a series of burglaries committed by the defendant between August 2022 and January 2023.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea in November 2023, he committed another burglary on December 1, 2023, while out on bail, prior to his sentencing. The defendant burglarized a private home on 72nd Street in Bensonhurst, stealing a diamond ring and $3,000 in cash. The defendant was indicted for second-degree burglary for that incident. On May 14, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary for the December 1, 2023 burglary.
Catullo’s co-defendant for the first set of burglaries, Sam Kravchenko, 36, of Coney Island, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary, criminal possession of a firearm and second-degree criminal trespass on April 10, 2024 and was sentenced on April 24, 2024 to two to six years in prison.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, the defendants were charged in connection with the following incidents:
- On August 8, 2022, the defendants burglarized a private home on West 12th Street in Gravesend and stole two Rolex watches, a Cartier gold watch, a gold necklace with a diamond cross, a gold bracelet, a diamond bracelet, and diamond earrings.
- On September 6, 2022, the defendants burglarized a grocery store on 17th Avenue in Bensonhurst, stealing a safe containing approximately $15,000 cash as well as a cash register containing petty cash.
- On October 6, 2022, the defendants burglarized a grocery store located on Bath Avenue in Bath Beach and stole a security box containing approximately $10,000 cash and a cash register containing petty cash.
- On October 6, 2022, the defendants burglarized a grocery store located on New Utrecht Avenue in Bensonhurst and stole a security box containing approximately $10,000 cash and a cash register containing petty cash.
- On November 13, 2022, the defendants burglarized a vape shop located on 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst and stole approximately $38,211 worth of merchandise.
- On January 18, 2023, the defendants burglarized a private home located on 76th Street in Bensonhurst and stole approximately $7,000 cash, two Rolexes, a Cartier bracelet, a necklace and matching earring set, and a gold necklace.
Defendant Kravchenko was arrested on January 26, 2023, after a car stop for failure to signal. He was driving with a suspended license, and police allegedly recovered 39 Oxycodone pills in his vehicle along with two police scanners. Upon further investigation using cell phone sites, enhanced video and other evidence, the defendants were linked to the burglaries.
The case was investigated by New York City Detective Anthony Brucato, Sergeant Nicholas Occhipinti, and Sergeant James Sinnott, all of the 62nd Precinct.
The District Attorney thanked Intelligence Analyst Fatima Shaik and Unit Chief Jingu Chong, of the District Attorney’s Digital Evidence Lab and Jannette Lukowsky, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Law Enforcement Assistance Unit, for their work on the case.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Joseph Duarte and Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Barg, of the District Attorney’s Orange Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Trabulsi and Assistant District Attorney Iris Das, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Danielle Eaddy, Bureau Chief.
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