Two Brooklyn men were arrested after Fairfield police say they were caught canvassing a Greenfield Hill neighborhood for their next target, capping an investigation into a string of residential burglaries where high-end jewelry was stolen from empty homes. Levan Aleksidze, 40, and Mamuka Chaganava, 47, both of Brooklyn, New York, face charges tied to the break-ins.
Fairfield police said the investigation began after high-end jewelry was reported stolen from several Greenfield Hill homes that were unoccupied during the burglaries, according to CT Insider. Fairfield Police Sgt. Jenna Wellington said members of the department's detective bureau worked extensively to identify those believed responsible for the thefts.
License Plate Readers Led Detectives to the Suspects
Detectives used automated license plate readers to identify a vehicle the suspects allegedly used to flee one of the break-ins, Wellington said. Investigators later located that vehicle traveling through Greenfield Hill on Sept. 24, tracking it as it moved through several residential roads, according to the same account.
Police said they observed activity consistent with the men canvassing the area for another potential burglary and stopped the vehicle before they could act, per Wellington's account relayed to the station's reporting. Both Aleksidze and Chaganava were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, Fairfield police said.
Bond Amounts and Custody Status
Online court records cited in the report show Aleksidze was released on a $75,000 bond following his arrest. Chaganava, meanwhile, remained in custody on a $100,000 bond as of Thursday, the same records show.
Police Chief Calls Arrest a Multi-Agency Effort
Fairfield Police Chief Michael Paris described the arrest as a team effort involving the Bridgeport Police Department's auto theft task force along with prosecutors from New York. Paris said the department would continue to dedicate resources to address developing crime patterns so residents feel safe in their own homes.
Greenfield Hill has seen organized burglary activity before. In 2012, eight businesses in the neighborhood were targeted in a string of break-in attempts, with three storefronts suffering broken windows and roughly $600 in damage, according to Daily Voice. The Greenfield Hill Garden Center reported its cash register stolen, while the owner of Vazzy's 19th Hole said a separate register with about $50 inside was also taken. Fairfield police recovered evidence from some of those scenes but said at the time the break-ins remained under investigation.
Under Connecticut law, conspiracy charges generally carry the same grade as the most serious underlying offense, according to the Connecticut General Assembly. That means the conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary charges facing Aleksidze and Chaganava carry the same potential severity as the burglary offense itself.
