A man believed to be linked to a burglary/identity theft ring active in Rossmoor pleaded guilty today to two charges of receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools.
The plea deal nets Brandon Lawrence Lebo two years in jail followed by two years of mandatory supervision, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Lebo was arrested in Rossmoor in October when an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy made a traffic stop in the middle of the night, pulling over Lebo, who was in possession of burglary tools such as a shaved key for breaking into cars or homes and stolen goods, including jewelry, a GPS devise and cell phones according to investigators.
Lebo also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of committing a felony crime while he was out on bail in a Riverside case and has a history of four felony convictions dating back to 2003, including two convictions for possession of methamphetamine, illegal possession of a gun, and receiving stolen property.
According to the sheriff’s department, Lebo’s girlfriend, Rossmoor resident Melissa Hannaki was arrested in Corona in possession of a stolen car and drugs.
When police attempted to pull her over, “she took off and was throwing Methamphetamine and other stuff out the window,” said Lt. Bob Wren of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at the time of the arrest. “Methamphetamine and burglary go hand in hand.”
The two are believed to be part of an identity theft ring, and investigators are pouring over leads and DNA evidence to find out if the two are linked to some of the burglaries that have plagued the community, Wren said.
There were more than 28 residential burglaries in Rossmoor last year.
