Crime & Safety

Notorious Burglary Spree Ends With One Guilty Plea—Case Still Pending Against Waterford Man

Bernard McAllister of Lisbon entered a guilty plea under a plea agreement that will net him 15 years in prison. Mark Missino of Waterford has so far rejected all plea agreements offered by the state.

One of the biggest burglary investigations in East Lyme Police Department's history ended recently with a guilty plea in a Stamford Court. 

Bernard McAllister, 42, of Lisbon is one of two men charged with as many as 90 burglaries that plagued the shoreline all the way from Stonington to Greenwich. The case isn't over yet, however. 

The case is still pending against Mark Missino, 45, of Waterford, who is McAllister's alleged partner in crime. Missino is charged with multiple counts of burglary and larceny. According to the Stamford Advocate, Missino allegedly rented a storage space in East Lyme to stash about 8,000 stolen goods, which included jewelry and prescription drugs valued at up to $1 million. 

East Lyme police apprehended the men in November, 2010, while they were at the storage facility, allegedly breaking open a safe they had taken from a home in Stamford that contained about $90,000 worth of jewelry.  

East Lyme Detective Donald Marr and Officer Mark Comeau were recognized as New London Elks' Club's Officers of the Year in 2011 for the intensive investigation they conducted to crack what the police department considers to be one of the biggest burglary cases in East Lyme history.  

On May 24, McAllister plead guilty to Corrupt Organizations and Racketeering Activity, first-degree larceny and six counts of third-degree burglary, the Stamford Advocate reported. Under the plea agreement, McAllister agreed to a sentence of 25 years, suspended after 15 years. The sentencing will be held in September. 

According to the Stamford Advocate, Missino has also been offered a number of plea agreements, but so far he has turned them all down. The latest one, in January, was an offer of 17 and a half years in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser counts of burglary, larceny and racketeering. 

Both men also face a 15-year sentence under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act, but McAllister will serve that sentence concurrently with the state sentence. According to the Stamford Advocate, Judge Richard Comerford, who is presiding over the case, told McAllister that if he had taken the case to trial and was found guilty, he could have faced up to 70 years in prison. 


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