A New York man pleaded guilty this week to a series of 10 residential break-ins across Newton, Wellesley, Andover, and Quincy that targeted homes belonging to Asian or South Asian families, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced.
Between June and July of 2021, four break-ins were reported in Newton, four in Quincy, one in Wellesley and one in Andover. During the break-ins, approximately $200,000 worth of property was stolen, including currency, designer watches, jewelry and a handgun.
An investigation into the breaks revealed that Juan Castano, 32, of New York, initially scouted residences by carrying a clipboard and approaching the front door. He then broke windows or glass doors to gain entry to the homes, ransacked them and left with valuables. On one occasion, in Quincy, he was interrupted as he attempted to climb through a window at night into a house where the family, including a child, was at home.
Geolocation and cell tower data obtained pursuant to search warrants revealed that the same Google account holder/ phone subscribers were appearing at the location of all of the breaks. Investigators ultimately identified Castano as the user of an account on site at each of the breaks.
That data revealed that Castano, a resident of the New York/New Jersey area, was making trips to Massachusetts, facilitated with the help of another individual identified as Wendy Reyes, for the purpose of breaking into homes.
In total, Castro plead guilty to 21 indictments. He was sentenced by Justice Patrick Haggan to 4-5 years in state prison as a Common and Notorious Thief. That sentence will run consecutively with a 5.5 to 11 year sentence he is presently serving in New York state for similar conduct.
Castano’s co-defendant, Wendy Reyes, is scheduled for trial on April 14.
