Man admits his role in 3-county burglary spree
Officials say the residential burglary spree netted the home invaders more than $1 million in stolen goods.
NORRISTOWN >> A former Delaware County man is awaiting his fate from a judge after he admitted to taking part in a threecounty, residential burglary spree that reportedly netted the home invaders more than $1 million in stolen goods.
Leroy Boose, 58, who once listed an address on Long Lane in Upper Darby, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to multiple felony counts of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with incidents that occurred between April 2017 and February 2018 in Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia counties.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Boose, who also listed addresses on North Stanley Street in Philadelphia and on Pennypacker Drive in Willingboro, N.J.
“Mr. Boose’s acceptance of a plea clearly demonstrated his intention to take responsibility for his actions. He has always evidenced remorse and a desire to make restitution to all affected parties,” defense lawyer Andrew J. Levin said on Boose’s behalf.
Boose remains in the county jail while awaiting sentencing. Boose potentially faces a minimum sentence of between 10 and 15 years in prison.
A second man charged in connection with the burglary spree, Anthony McDaniels, 49, the 1600 block of West Lehigh Street, Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty to 49 felony counts of burglary, two counts of attempted burglary and multiple counts of conspiracy in connection with the incidents and is in jail awaiting sentencing.
“Boose was absolutely the mastermind in this scheme,” alleged Assistant District Attorney Scott Frame, adding the two men operated a well-coordinated criminal enterprise. “They had a plan to take certain items.”
The men, prosecutors alleged, stole items such as electronics and jewelry and other more unique items like taxidermy and musical instruments.
“They deserve significant state prison sentences because they destroyed the trust of multiple citizens of Montgomery, Philadelphia and Delaware counties by entering their homes and taking very, very expensive goods. It absolutely destroys their security in their own homes,” Frame said about the victims.
At the time of the arrests last year, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said the arrests were the culmination of the work of a task force that was created after officials began seeing common links among the burglaries.
“The burglaries generally occur between dusk and midnight. Typically, several houses are burglarized during the same time frame and in close proximity to one another. Homes without lights on or a visible car in the driveway were specifically targeted,” Lower Merion Detective David Herbst and Abington Detective Robert Wilsbach alleged in the arrest affidavit.
“In most cases bedrooms were ransacked, with jewelry taken and a pillow case used to carry stolen goods,” the detectives added.
Of the 50 burglaries linked to the men, 38 took place in Montgomery County, primarily in Lower Merion, Abington and Cheltenham, and six occurred in the Haverford Township and Drexel Hill sections of Delaware County. The remainder occurred in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.
Steele previously said the value of the property taken during the 50 burglaries was pegged at somewhere around $1 million.
Many of the items were recovered in self-storage units linked to Boose in Philadelphia, according to court papers.
“Literally, inside they found pillow cases full of items, jewelry, taxidermy and other things,” Frame alleged.
Last year, authorities attempted to return stolen items to rightful owners via a web site that displayed the items.
The detectives alleged numerous methods of entry were used to gain access to the homes and in some cases, “brute force was used to shoulder a door.” The burglars took jewelry, cash, antiques, guns, musical instruments and even flat-screen televisions, authorities said.
Detectives alleged the details of the burglaries were similar to burglaries that had occurred in Cheltenham in 2010. In that case, McDaniels had been arrested and spent time in jail, authorities alleged. Detectives also knew McDaniels was an associate of Boose, so the men were identified as suspects and members of the task force began watching them during the course of several weeks.
On Feb. 10, 2018, detectives placed the defendants under surveillance and when they were observed allegedly burglarizing a James Road residence in Lower Merion, members of the task force intercepted the defendants and arrested them, according to court papers.
“McDaniels and Boose were stopped and caught red-handed,” Herbst and Wilsbach wrote in court papers.
McDaniels had a pry bar hanging out of his pocket and detectives observed McDaniels and Boose carrying a pillow case, a guitar and a trumpet, according to the arrest affidavit.
Following his arrest, McDaniels told detectives he had been committing residential burglaries since 2010 and that “one of the burglaries resulted in a prison stay,” according to court papers.
“Following his parole, Boose constantly pressured McDaniels into committing burglaries again,” detectives alleged, referring to McDaniels’s statement.
McDaniels, according to detectives, claimed he never committed any burglaries with anyone but Boose. However, McDaniels said sometimes he would commit burglaries alone.
“After committing a burglary, Boose would take possession of the stolen items. Boose would later pay McDaniels amounts that varied between $500 and $4800,” detectives alleged.
McDaniels, in February 2018, did drive around with detectives and point out the homes that were burglarized, according to the arrest affidavit. Detectives also used cellphone analysis to place the phones of Boose and McDaniels in the vicinity of the burglaries at the times they occurred.