WHITE PLAINS, NY — Kareem Johnakin, 47, of Bethlehem, PA and his co-defendant, Patrick Williams,53, of Brooklyn, were sentenced to state prison for a series of commercial burglaries committed in 2017.
Specifically, Williams pleaded guilty in April to five counts of Burglary in the Third Degree, class D felonies, one for each of the commercial burglaries listed below. He was sentenced to 3.5 to 7 years in state prison on each count to run concurrently.
Johnakin pleaded guilty in April to one count of Burglary in the Third Degree, a class D felony. He was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in state prison. Both were given a restitution judgment order of $10,650.
From May to August 2017, Williams and Johnakin broke into four food markets and a restaurant in the early hours of the morning (dates below) and stole money before leaving the scene. In four out of the five incidents, the defendants entered food markets by forcibly pushing up metal roll-down gates and, in most cases, sliding underneath them. In the restaurant burglary, they smashed a glass door to get in.
Locations of incidents and approximate amounts of stolen money:
May 12, 2017 — Yonkers Farm Market, 1101 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers = $4,700
July 2, 2017 — Rainbow Fish Market, 482 Main St., New Rochelle = $3,300
July 6, 2017 — Green Dragon Restaurant, 150 North Avenue, New Rochelle = less than $1,000
July 6, 2017 — Saw Mill Market, 317 Saw Mill River Road, Yonkers = $13,300
Aug. 3, 2017 — Te Amo store at 321 Saw Mill River Road, Yonkers = 0, defendants scared off by alarm
The investigation was conducted with the assistance of Yonkers and New Rochelle Police Departments and the Westchester Intelligence Center.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Adrian Murphy of the Investigations Division and Matthew McCarty of the Superior Court Trial Division.