Police get break in Key vehicle burglary cases

A man has been arrested and charged with recent vehicle burglaries on Longboat Key and Holmes Beach.

According to a news release, Richard Iannuzzi, 42, was arrested by St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputies Aug. 7 on outstanding Sarasota County warrants for dealing in stolen property. During their investigation, deputies found a stolen credit card from a Holmes Beach case. Deputies notified the city’s police, which relayed the information to Longboat Key police.

Longboat Key police interviewed Iannuzzi Aug. 11, after he was transferred to the Sarasota County Jail. The report states that Iannuzzi admitted to several Longboat Key car burglaries and directed police to the Broadway and Poseidon beach accesses, where the burglaries occurred, and provided descriptions of the vehicles he broke into and the items he stole. He also allegedly showed police where he committed two vehicle burglaries on Holmes Beach. Iannuzzi also identified a location where he had discarded some stolen purses, which were found by citizens and turned over to Longboat Key police during the past month, the report states.

Police also interviewed two people at a Bradenton location. One individual, who was Iannuzzi’s girlfriend, turned over multiple items that she said he left in her vehicle, including four GPS units, three digital cameras, a bag of J. Crew clothing with price tags attached worth in excess of $700, power chords, tools, a bag, eyeglasses, contacts and sunglasses, some of which were identified as stolen from recent Longboat Key car burglaries. According to the report, Iannuzzi’s girlfriend had already sold some property that he gave her.

The report states that the investigation continues and that charges are now pending on five Longboat Key cases and two Holmes Beach cases. According to Sarasota County Jail records, Iannuzzi is being held on $20,000 bond and has been charged with contempt of court for dealing in stolen property, along with two counts of unarmed burglary on an unoccupied conveyance.