NEWS RELEASE
OCTOBER 5, 2009 #09-042
4:00 P.M. DONALDSON

Two Men Charged in Alexandria for “Open House” Larcenies

Alexandria Police have charged two men in connection with several larcenies from open houses, hosted by Realtors that occurred over the past few months.  Warrants were obtained for John Palmer, Jr., 51, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and Samuel Goldstein, 22, of Dundalk, Maryland.

Detectives had developed Palmer and Goldstein as suspects in this series of larcenies.  Detectives worked with the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) to disseminate the information about these individuals in hopes of preventing further crimes.  Through this cooperative effort, Palmer and Goldstein were recognized in Baltimore, Maryland, attending open houses.  Subsequently, both men were arrested on Sunday, October 4, by Baltimore City Police and taken to the Baltimore County Adult Detention Center where they are being held without bond pending extradition to Alexandria.

Detectives obtained nine warrants for Palmer and Goldstein.  These warrants stem from three separate cases in Alexandria.  Three of the warrants were for Grand Larceny, an additional three warrants were for Grand Larceny with Intent to Sell and three more warrants were obtained for Conspiracy to Commit Larceny. 

Detectives believe Goldstein and Palmer may be responsible for more larcenies from open houses and ask anyone with information about these two suspects or who might have been a victim in Alexandria to contact Detective Dan Plank of the Criminal Investigations Section at 703.838.4797.

For further information, contact the Media Services Unit at 703.838.4636.