A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison for breaking into Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Coney Island, stealing approximately $100,000 from a safe. The defendant, Luis Mercado, failed to appear in court after being released on bail and was subsequently rearrested after an alleged break-in on the Lower East Side. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez noted that Mercado pleaded guilty in March to second-degree grand larceny and second-degree bail jumping.
District Attorney Gonzalez described Mercado as a serial burglar and emphasized the necessity of the prison sentence to prevent further crimes. Mercado, 34, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joanne Quinones to two concurrent prison terms following his guilty plea on March 11, on charges of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree bail jumping. The burglary at Gargiulo’s Restaurant on June 29, 2022, resulted in the theft of $100,000 in cash from the safe, with video surveillance capturing Mercado and an accomplice breaking into the establishment.
Evidence presented by the New York City Police Department’s 60th Precinct detectives tracked Mercado and his accomplice from Mercado’s residence to Gargiulo’s and back. Following his arrest on July 6, 2022, and subsequent indictment on charges of grand larceny and burglary, Mercado failed to appear in court on August 22, 2023, triggering a bench warrant. Finally, on January 31, he was rearrested and charged with second-degree bail jumping for his actions, as per the District Attorney’s office.