Repeat offender burglarized at least 8 homes, police say
GREENVILLE, N.Y. » A man who was released from state prison in April after serving a 12-year sentence for an Albany County burglary has been charged in connection with eight recent daytime residential burglaries in Ulster and Greene counties, state police said Tuesday.
Todd Raffiani, 50, of Greenville, was charged last Thursday with felony burglary, police said.
Raffiani “has been implicated in eight burglaries and …. potentially a lot more” in Ulster, Greene and possibly Albany counties, state police Senior Investigator Peter Kusminsky said Tuesday.
He said the residents were not at home during any of the alleged burglaries and only some of the of the homes were locked.
Kusminsky said state police are comparing notes with law-enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions to determine where else Raffiani might have struck. He said the stolen items, some of which have been recovered, included TVs, guns and a generator.
“We did find some items in a vehicle he was using and we’re attempting to track back some to the stuff he’s stolen,” Kusminsky said.
Kusminsky said Raffiani’s alleged burglary spree is believed to have begun shortly after his release from state prison on April 3. He was sent to prison in August 2001, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision website.
Prior to his latest stint in prison, Raffiani was jailed after a 1997 conviction in Rockland County for felony weapons possession. In that case, he was sentenced to two to four years and was released on Sept. 28, 1998, according to the corrections deartment.
Before that, in January 1992, Raffiani served time in state prison after being convicted of burglary in Greene County and sentenced to one to four years.
His arrest last week concluded an investigation by state police in conjunction with Saugerties and Cairo police, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
After being arraigned, Raffiani was sent to the Ulster County Jail without bail.