Andrew Oreckinto, Theft from an Interstate Shipment, Connecticut 2017

A New Jersey man has been found guilty of a brazen burglary at a Wethersfield warehouse in 2011.

Andrew Oreckinto, 52, of Matawan, New Jersey, was convicted of theft from an interstate shipment, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

The jury returned its verdict this morning after a trial that began on February 6 before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer.

According to the evidence introduced during the trial, Oreckinto stole over 8,000 cartons of cigarettes worth approximately $300,000 from the New Britain Candy warehouse at 24 Maple Street in Wethersfield on March 20, 2011.

The stolen cigarettes had a retail value of approximately $500,000.

One individual, subsequently identified as Oreckinto, was seen on video surveillance footage wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, black gloves, a black face mask, and a headband light around his head.

The investigation included extensive analysis of prepaid cellphones and cell tower information, which led investigators to several other prepaid phones that had been used in multiple commercial burglaries in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Oreckinto had previously been convicted of two other burglaries, including a burglary at a Waldbaum’s Supermarket in Rockville Centre, N.Y., and a commercial warehouse burglary in Florham Park, N.J.

The jury found Oreckinto guilty of one count of theft from an interstate shipment.

Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2017.

This investigation has been conducted by the Wethersfield Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Nassau County Police Department and the Florham Park (N.J.) Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.

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