Items stolen by Eastern European burglary ring available for retrieval: 5 charged

Items retrieved from Eastern European burglary ring are available for retrieval at the Chicago Police Department's 18th District, 1160 N Larrabee St., on Sat. and Sun. Oct. 4 and 5, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

During the investigation of a Sept. 27 Gold Coast Rush Street robbery, Chicago Police Area Central Property Crimes detectives uncovered a cache of stolen merchandise and learned of another stash. In total the 4-person team had more than the $400,000 worth of high-end watches stolen from the Bentley Gold Coast store. High-end suits, paintings, china, musical instruments, flatscreen televisions, electronic devices, bootlegged DVDs and several framed prints of Pope John Paul II are all part of the times on display at the 18th District. 

Because the ring is believed to have targeted victims across the Midwest, the Chicago Police Department is encouraging victims of a burglary in the area to attend and identify stolen items. Proof of purchase or ownership must be provided. For more information, contact detectives at 312.747.8384. 

Anna Straus, 35, and Glowacka Xagniezska, 36, of the 3400 block of N. Rutherford; Damian Duitlow, 41, the 4200 block of W. Wrightwood; and Ian Kowolski, 50, of an unknown home address, were each charged with one felony count of Theft-Unauthorized Control/$100,000-$500,000 and one felony count each of Burglary. Andrzej Debinski, 31, of the 3600 block of N. Sayre, was charged with one felony count of Possessing Fraudulent Identification Card from the Rush Street theft.

Bond was set at $100,000 for the four and $20,000 for Debinski on Fri., Oct. 3 but Straus was not in Bond Court. She was in custody at Northwestern Memorial Hospital about to give birth. 

According to a report by NBC's Charlie Wojciechowski, the burglary team members identify themselves as Roma. "Roma means they are essentially gypsies. They don't have a country to go back to, so it's hard to deport someone who doesn't claim a nationality," said their defense attorney Grarado Gutierrez. He went on to say that some of them have been deported multiple times. 

Master Sgt. Steven Pryor, part of a special Illinois State Police unit, told Wojciechowski that his unit is investigating Roma-associated crimes called the Ruse Burglary Task Force. The group assisted Chicago police in this case.