John Cipolla of Long Island City charged with grand larceny for burglarizing 2 businesses in Plainview

A Long Island City man has been indicted on grand larceny and other charges for allegedly burglarizing two Plainview businesses in 2022, stealing more than $500,000 in merchandise and cash.

John Cipolla, 50, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday to charges of grand larceny, burglary, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal mischief and conspiracy.

Judge Robert Schwartz set bail at $1 million cash, $2 million bond, and $4 million partially secured bond. As an eligible persistent felony offender, the defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted. 

Cipolla's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment. 

“Over the course of three months, this defendant allegedly engaged in two conspiracies that netted him more than $500,000 in electronic merchandise and quarters,” said District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly in a statement. “The defendant allegedly stole box trucks from an area business and used them to haul away the proceeds of his theft to storage facilities in Queens. I thank the Nassau County Police Department’s Burglary Pattern Squad for their concerted investigative efforts that led to this indictment.”

According to prosecutors, on July 31, 2022, at approximately 9:42 p.m., Cipolla and other unidentified individuals, allegedly entered ADI Global Distribution on Fairchild Avenue in Plainview, disabled an alarm system, and stole $285,000 worth of electronics. 

Then on Oct. 22, 2022, at approximately 8:33 p.m., Cipolla and co-defendant Jose De La Cruz, of Ozone Park, Queens, allegedly broke into a Nassau County Auxiliary Police booth on Hempstead Avenue in Hempstead and stole two police radios, prosecutors said. 

Later that night, Cipolla and another unknown individual allegedly stole two U-Haul Trucks from a U-Haul on Jericho Turnpike, prosecutors said. Cipolla and De La Cruz then allegedly met at a Brinks location at 100 Commercial Street in Plainview where they stole approximately $250,000 in quarters. Cipolla and De La Cruz allegedly transported the stolen currency from Nassau County in the U-Haul vehicles to storage units located in Queens.

Cipolla was arrested on July 6 in Queens. De La Cruz, 49, was arrested the same day in Glen Cove. He is awaiting arraignment on the indictment and his attorney also could not be immediately reached. 

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.