Serial Suffolk Burglar Charged: District Attorney

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A St. James man was charged in connection with a string of commercial burglaries in Suffolk County in November 2020, District Attorney Tim Sini announced Friday.

Kieran Fichtner, 27, of St. James, along with his accomplice, Michael Parise, 46, of Stony Brook, were also charged in connection with the attempted theft of an ATM, Sini said.

Fichtner faces dozens of charges and, if convicted, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Parise, if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of 3-and-a-half to 7 years in prison.

Fichtner is accused of having committed the following commercial burglaries while on supervised release with GPS monitoring for an unrelated pending charge of criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said:

• Nov. 4, 2020, at St. James Jewelry, at 483 Lake Ave., St. James
• Nov. 19, 2020, at Center Gold East, at 151 Route 25A, Sound Beach
• Nov. 19, 2020, at Pattern Finders, at 128 E. Main St., Port Jefferson Station
• Nov. 23, 2020, at R&S Jewelry, at 285 Route 25A, Rocky Point
• Nov. 24, 2020, at Raan Thai, at 203 Terry Road, Nesconset
• Nov. 25, 2020, at Subway, at 43 Railroad Ave., Ronkonkoma

Suffolk police detectives saw Fichtner and Parise, on Nov. 28, 2020, try to steal an ATM from Chase Bank, at 705 Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown, prosecutors said. The two then drove away, police said. Fichtner was apprehended following a police chase, officials said.

Detectives on Nov. 28 searched Fichtner’s vehicle and found a loaded 9 mm pistol, one gram of cocaine, and a New York State Corrections jacket that Fichtner was seen wearing during several burglaries, authorities said. Suffolk County Crime Laboratory's forensic analysis of the 9 mm pistol showed it was used in two shootings in November in residential neighborhoods, although no one was injured, officials said.

Fichtner’s home was searched, and detectives said they found jewelry, art, two shotguns, trailers, motorcycles, and one Mercedes, which had all been reported stolen. Police also said they recovered an eagle statue that had been reported as stolen from a World War II memorial at Washington Memorial Park Cemetery in Mount Sinai.

Fichtner was charged with three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a class C felony); two counts of second-degree grand larceny (a class C felony); six counts of third-degree burglary (a class D felony); second-degree attempted grand larceny (a class D felony); four counts of third-degree grand larceny (a class D felony); fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (a class D felony); third-degree criminal possession of stolen property (a class D felony); first-degree reckless endangerment (a class D felony); five counts of second-degree criminal mischief (a class D felony); third-degree attempted grand larceny (a class E felony); third-degree attempted burglary (a class E felony); two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny (a class E felony); third-degree criminal mischief (a class E felony); two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property (a class E felony); two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief (a class A misdemeanor); two counts of petty larceny (a class A misdemeanor); and two counts of third-degree criminal trespass (a class B misdemeanor).

Parise was arrested recently on unrelated charges in connection with numerous alleged commercial burglaries, and he then admitted to police his involvement in the November ATM theft, authorities said. Parise also told detectives that Fichtner would fire the pistol in residential neighborhoods to district police in order to commit burglaries nearby, prosecutors said.

Parise was charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny (a class D felony); second-degree criminal mischief (a class D felony) and third-degree attempted grand larceny (a class E felony).

Fichtner was arraigned March 5 and bail was set at $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond or $500,000 partially-secured bond, Sini said. Fichtner is being represented by George Duncan and is due back in court April 9.

Parise was arraigned Friday and bail was set at $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond or $400,000 partially-secured bond, Sini said. Parise is being represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County and is due back in court on April 14.