3 accused of stealing nearly $1M in cash, jewelry from North Valley Stream home

Three men, two of them brothers, were charged in an April burglary with stealing almost $1 million in jewelry, cash, clothing and other items from a home in North Valley Stream, Nassau police said

Police said "clothing and other assorted items" had been recovered, but, citing the ongoing investigation, did not say what happened to the money and jewels.

Police said the 42-year-old homeowner left for a family vacation on April 10 and two days later discovered his surveillance cameras were "not working properly." The homeowner contacted a family member, who police said went to the residence and found a side entrance door broken, the door frame "ripped off" and the home ransacked, with the surveillance cameras "repositioned and the lenses covered with tape."

Officers found the internet wiring cut, a signal jammer in place and a safe containing what police said was $460,000 in currency and $500,000 worth of jewelry missing. The safe had been in a bedroom closet, police said.

The investigation used video surveillance from the area, as well as other evidence recovered from the scene, leading to the arrests.

Police did not say how the suspects came to target the home — or if the break-in was random.

Arrested were brothers Vincent Repka, 58, and Leonard Repka, 63, both of Port Jefferson, and Nikitas Margiellos, 53, of West Babylon.

All three pleaded not guilty on Wednesday before Judge William Bodkin at First District Court in Hempstead to second-degree burglary, according to court records. Bodkin ordered Leonard Repka held on $50,000 cash bail, $100,000 insured bond or $200,000 partially secured surety bond. The judge ordered the younger Repka and Margiellos held on $250,000 cash bail, $500,000 insured bond or $1.25 million partially secured surety bond.

Karen Johnston and John Wallenstein, the defense attorneys representing Vincent and Leonard Repka respectively, declined to comment when reached by telephone on Wednesday afternoon. Both said they were just assigned their respective cases earlier in the day.

Dennis Lemke, the defense attorney representing Margiellos, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.