Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Oliver Rodriguez was indicted and charged with multiple counts of burglary in a mail theft spree that targeted six apartment buildings in Lindenwood beginning on Christmas Day and continuing into the new year.

District Attorney Katz said: “We are charging that the defendant spoiled Christmas for many families, depriving them of timely, important communications and gifts they spent hard-earned money to buy. These mail thefts also violated their sense of safety.”

Rodriguez, 26, of Autumn Avenue in Cypress Hills, was arraigned today on a 25-count indictment charging him with eight counts of burglary in the second degree, eight counts of burglary in the third degree, eight counts of petit larceny and one count of possession of a burglar’s tools.

Rodriguez faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Justice Quynda Santacroce ordered him to return to court on March 7.

According to the charges and surveillance video evidence:

• On December 25, 2023, at approximately 8:39 a.m., Rodriguez approached 87-10 149^th Avenue and forced open the locked front door of the apartment building with a screwdriver. He entered the mail room, where he put several packages into a bag before leaving.
• Approximately 15 minutes later, Rodriguez approached another apartment building, this one at 149-30 88^th Street, and forced open the front door with a screwdriver. He took several packages from the mail room.
• Approximately five minutes later, at around 9:00 a.m., Rodriguez forced open the front door of 151-20 88^th Street, where he pried open mailboxes and took their contents.
• Two days later, on December 27, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Rodriguez forced his way into 151-40 88^th Street, where he also forced open mailboxes and took their contents.
• On December 31, at approximately 2:20 p.m., Rodriguez returned to 87-10 149^th Avenue, where he again took several packages from the mail room.
• On January 3, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Rodriguez returned to 87-10 149^th Avenue, forced open the front door with an unknown tool and took packages from the mail room.
• About an hour later, at 2:40 p.m., at 89-35 155^th Avenue, Rodriguez took a package left in front of a resident’s door.
• On January 8, at approximately 4:50 a.m., Rodriguez pried open the door of 88-29 155^th After taking several packages in the lobby, he got into an elevator, where he stuffed the contents of the packages into his pockets before leaving the building.
• Rodriguez was arrested on January 14.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Peter Ferrizz of the New York Police Department’s 106^th Precinct Detective Squad.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Theodorou of the District Attorney’s Felony Trial I Bureau is prosecuting the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Rosemary Chao, Bureau Chief, Barry Weinrib, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, and Andrea Medina, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Supreme Court Trials Pishoy Yacoub.