COMPUTERS AND PALM PILOT STOLEN IN BURGLARY OF DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE OFFICES SEIZED FOLLOWING THE EXECUTION OF SEARCH WARRANT IN OZONE PARK APARTMENT; THREE ARRESTED

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and New York City Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik announced today the arrest of a Ozone Park man and two others in connection with the theft of numerous computers, among which were three Toshiba laptop computers and a Palm Pilot that were stolen during a September 13th burglary at the offices of Democratic National Committee at Two Penn Plaza in Manhattan.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendants as Angel Santiago, 42, of 97-39 88th Street, Ozone Park; Carlos Rojas, 28, of 137-27 79th Street, Howard Beach and William Crespo, 26, of 466 Grant Street, Brooklyn. They have been charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Additional charges may be filed after investigators complete their analysis of the evidence seized. The defendants face up to seven years in prison if convicted and are scheduled to be arraigned this evening in Queens Criminal Court.

According to the District Attorney, the three laptops and the personal organizer were stolen from the Democratic National Committee’s regional office on the 19th floor of 2 Penn Plaza between 3a.m. and 8a.m. on the morning of September 13th . Santiago was arrested early this morning when members of the Auto Crime Divison of the Organized Crime Control Bureau of the New York City Police Department executed a search warrant prepared by the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau at his Ozone Park apartment.. Rojas was arrested outside his place of business on Shepherd Avenue in Brooklyn at which time he allegedly had in his possession the personal digital assistant. Crespo was arrested, according to the charges, with a laptop in a bag in his classroom at PS 92 in the Bronx where he teaches technology to first and third grades.

The investigation was carried out by Sgt Wayne Pollaci and Detective John Bakke of the Auto Crime Division of the Organized Crime Control Bureau of the New York City Police Department and will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Samar J. Kharouba of District Attorney Brown’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Gerard A. Brave and Deputy Bureau Chief Marc P. Resnick are in charge of the case.

It should be noted that an arrest is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.