Sestoso and his girlfriend were dubbed the “Bonnie and Clyde” of mail theft by law enforcement after burglarizing multiple apartment mailrooms in Queens. Via Getty Images
April 16, 2025 By Bill Parry
A Long Island man was sentenced to 3 ½ to seven years in prison Tuesday in connection with five residential apartment mailbox thefts in Queens last year.
Brandon Sestoso, 43, of McAlester Avenue in Hicksville, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court on March 24 to burglary in the third degree as part of a global disposition of outstanding burglary charges against him.
Between April and August 2024, Sestoso worked in concert with his Long Island girlfriend to steal packages, checks, and other valuable items from apartment mailboxes across Western Queens. The duo struck with such frequency that members of law enforcement dubbed them the “Bonnie and Clyde” of mail theft.
His girlfriend and co-defendant, Rowena Farkas, 44, of Franklin Avenue in Bohemia, was charged on the same indictment as Sestoso on Sept. 20, 2024, and failed to appear in court in February. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest on Feb. 20, 2025.
According to the charges and investigation, between April 30 and Aug. 1, 2024, Sestoso engaged in a series of burglaries in Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst.
Sestoso entered residential buildings and made his way to the mailrooms, where he used a forged key to open the panel of resident’s mailboxes. He took mail and packages, placed the stolen property items into bags, and then fled the locations. Farkas allegedly accompanies Sestoto for most of the burglaries that took place on 51st Street in Sunnyside, 75th Street in Jackson Heights, 60th Street in Woodside, and 44th Avenue and 79th Street in Elmhurst.
When police from the 115th Precinct approached Brandon Sestoso at this Jackson Heights corner, he took off running. They caught him with stolen credit cards, forged mail keys, and burglary tools. Via Google Maps
On Sept. 7, 2024, Sestoso was near 35th Avenue and 84th Street in Jackson Heights when NYPD officers approached him. He took off running from officers, who chased him on foot. Eventually, the cops caught up to him, and he was taken into custody. At that time, Sestoso was found to be in possession of stolen credit and debit cards, three forged mail keys, and burglar’s tools.
“Brandon Sestoso went on a brazen burglary spree by entering apartment buildings throughout Queens and using a forged key to access private mailboxes,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “At the time this defendant was arrested by our partners in the NYPD, he was found in possession of 23 credit and debit cards that did not match his identity.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino sentenced Sestoso to 3 ½ to seven years imprisonment.
Katz said that anyone who believes they have been a victim of identity theft should report it to the NYPD precinct where they live and contact the creditor’s fraud department for each fraudulently opened or misused account.
All consumers are entitled to a free yearly copy of their credit report, which can be obtained through one of these agencies: www.experian.com, www.transunion.com or www.equifax.com. Victims of identity theft should place a fraud alert on their file with one of the three agencies.
“We are laser-focused on targeting those who steal identities, hard-earned paychecks and benefits,” Katz said. “I encourage anyone who believes that their identity was stolen or is a victim of mail fraud to contact the police or the United States Postal Inspection Service.”
Featured Events
