Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Juan Acevedo was arraigned and remanded today on grand jury indictment charges of escape, criminal contempt and criminal mischief for fleeing the country days after his criminal court arraignment on burglary charges for allegedly breaking into homes in December 2025 and February 2026. The defendant was charged previously in a separate indictment for allegedly stealing cash, jewelry and designer handbags during three home burglaries on a single day last year.
Acevedo allegedly cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor on March 9, 2026. Following a month-long investigation into the defendant’s whereabouts, Acevedo was apprehended on April 1, 2026, in Panama at the request of the United States. He and a codefendant were extradited to New York yesterday.
District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this defendant cut off his ankle monitor and left the country after being indicted for invading the sanctity of people’s homes over and over again. He blatantly defied the criminal justice system and we were relentless in returning him to this borough to be held accountable for his actions. I thank the members of my Career Criminal/Major Crimes Bureau and Extradition Unit, as well as our law enforcement partners in the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for ensuring the defendant’s return. A codefendant has also been brought back to face burglary indictment charges. Both defendants have been remanded without bail.”
Acevedo, 30, of College Point, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with escape in the second degree, criminal contempt in the second degree and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. He was also arraigned on an indictment charging him with burglary in the second degree, grand larceny in the third degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, burglary in the second degree and grand larceny in the second degree for the December 2025 and February 2026 incidents.
Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court May 27. If convicted, Acevedo faces up to 79 years in prison.
Codefendant Jeison Figueroa Nomesqui, 33, of Flushing, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with burglary in the second degree, grand larceny in the second degree, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree, reckless driving, failing to make a lawful U-turn, operating a vehicle at unreasonable speed and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court May 27. If convicted, Nomesqui faces up to 15 years in prison.
DA Katz said that according to the indictment and investigation, Acevedo – acting in concert with two others who have not been apprehended – rented a Porsche and drove to three residences on March 5, 2025.
At approximately 11:45 a.m., Acevedo allegedly broke into a home on Springfield Boulevard in Bayside. Acevedo and his crew stole $9,800 in designer handbags and cash. When the police responded, they found a winter hat in the immediate vicinity of the home. DNA later retrieved from the hat matched the defendant.
At approximately 3:51 p.m., Acevedo allegedly hopped a fence and broke into a home on 219th Street in Queens Village. The crew stole designer handbags, jewelry and money valued at $30,200.
At approximately 5:40 p.m., Acevedo and others broke into a home on Boelsen Crescent in Rego Park. They stole jewelry valued at $1,500.
Unbeknownst to Acevedo, the rented Porsche had a GPS tracker from the rental company that linked the defendant’s whereabouts to all three residences at the time of the crimes.
Following a long-term investigation into the burglaries, Acevedo was arrested and arraigned on December 5, 2025, on indictment charges of burglary in the second degree, burglary in the third degree, grand larceny in the third degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and grand larceny in the fourth degree. The court ordered supervised release with electronic monitoring as part of his pre-trial release conditions.
Acevedo was outfitted with an ankle monitor on February 25, 2026.
Following Acevedo’s December indictment, the Queens District Attorney’s office continued their investigation into additional burglaries and determined that Acevedo allegedly burglarized more homes in December 2025 and February 2026.
According to the second indictment, on December 29, 2025, at approximately 6:40 p.m., Acevedo and two others broke into a home on 166th Street in East Flushing and stole jewelry valued at $20,000. The jewelry was sold at an exchange in Manhattan the next day.
On February 16, 2026, at approximately 7:48 p.m., Acevedo and two others broke into a home on 229th Street in Oakland Gardens using a collapsible ladder and stole $100,000 in cash and jewelry. Codefendant Nomesqui was present at the scene and allegedly acted as the getaway driver.
On March 6, 2026, Acevedo was arraigned in criminal court on charges stemming from the December 29, 2025, and February 16, 2026, incidents. The Queens District Attorney’s Office argued for remand, but the court ordered continued electronic monitoring.
On March 7, pursuant to the investigation into the February 16 incident, officers attempted to pull over Nomesqui at the intersection of Cross Bay Boulevard and 107th Avenue. Nomesqui allegedly made an illegal U-turn, sped past the posted speed limit and swerved in and out of lanes without signaling to evade the officers. He was finally pulled over and arrested for the February 16 burglary as well as the vehicle infractions on the scene and driving with a suspended license. At Nomesqui’s arraignment, the court ordered supervised release with a return date of April 22.
On March 9, two days after Acevedo was released with continued electronic monitoring upon arraignment, law enforcement officials received an alert that Acevedo’s ankle monitor strap had been cut and the last known location was near the Grand Central Parkway. Members of the NYPD immediately attempted to locate the defendant but were only able to find the cut bracelet at the last known location. A bench warrant was issued for Acevedo’s arrest.
The Queens District Attorney’s office, in partnership with the NYPD’s Queens North Burglary Task Force, Queens Warrant Squad and federal law enforcement partners, submitted multiple search warrants and subpoenas in an attempt to locate Acevedo.
Following a month-long investigation, Acevedo was apprehended on April 1, 2026, at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City after presenting a forged Colombian passport before boarding a flight to Bogota, Colombia. Codefendant Nomesqui was at the scene and apprehended along with Acevedo.
The District Attorney’s Extraditions Unit, led by Section Chief Timothy McGrath, worked with our federal and local law enforcement partners to secure the defendants’ return to New York.
The District Attorney extends her gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attache Office (LEGAT) in Panama and the FBI/NYPD New York Joint Major Theft Task Force for working with the Government of Panama to secure the arrests and extraditions.
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