New York’s Staten Island. A defendant has entered a guilty plea in connection with a violent home invasion at a Mid-Island residence where women and children were sleeping.
For his involvement in the Dec. 18, 2023 incident, 29-year-old Michael Conley of Stapleton’s 500 block of Bay Street is set to receive a sentence of 10 years in jail on February 24.
Judge Alexander Jeong heard Conley’s case on Thursday, and he pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and third-degree attempted criminal possession of a dangerous narcotic.
The state Supreme Court in St. George is still considering cases involving three co-defendants who are being imprisoned on Rikers Island on a variety of criminal charges related to the armed heist.
Luthman Sefu, 32, of Stanley Avenue in New Brighton; Elliot Knight, 29, of Boyd Street in Stapleton; and Roland Knight, 32, of the 500 block of Bay Street in Stapleton are the co-defendants.
According to home security footage, four masked individuals dressed in dark clothing kicked in the front door of the house shortly after midnight.
A 33-year-old lady, her 5-year-old daughter, her 4-year-old son, and their 54-year-old nanny were sleeping in the bedrooms and corridor on the second floor, which they stalked.
In what was called a targeted robbery, officials said the guys demanded jewelry and cash from the mother. The New York Post said that her husband was not home at the time.
Prosecutors claim that while the invaders searched the house for cash, one of them pistol-whipped the mother.
According to the Post, another defendant entered the room with their nanny and her daughter, who the investigators claimed had sustained a head injury in the assault.
According to the outlet, the Jewish neighborhood watch group Shmira kept a close eye on the family in the days that followed.
Multiple convictions
Conley’s CV lists numerous severe felony convictions. At the time of his guilty plea in this case, he also had seven other charges on Staten Island.
The charges, which were related to several events, included assault, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to sell.
Luthman entered a guilty plea to charges related to a 2022 narcotics sweep that targeted members and associates of a local Bloods group operating in the New Brighton area, weeks before the house invasion.
According to court documents, Elliot Knight was facing drug-dealing accusations as of this week in a different, continuing case.
Armed robberies and drug rings on Staten Island have frequently been linked to local groups of national gangs and groups of young people working in various communities over the years.
Rattled our community : McMahon
Following Conley’s guilty plea on Thursday, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon made the following statement:
According to McMahon, Michael Conley took part in a violent and horrifying house invasion that left numerous victims and rocked our neighborhood, fulfilling every Staten Islander’s greatest nightmare.
We commend our NYPD partners for their thorough investigation that led to the prosecution of this dangerous defendant, and we applaud Assistant District Attorneys Nicole Juliano and Andrew Edvin for securing a significant prison sentence in this disturbing case. Conley’s indefensible and recidivist criminal behavior warranted nothing less than a full decade in prison.
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