Possible link in burglaries probed

NYPD and Long Island police are investigating whether other burglaries are linked to a city detective who is charged with burglarizing a Lindenhurst home, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

Rafael Astacio, 39, of Copiague, was arrested on June 3 and charged with second-degree burglary, court records show.

The 18-year NYPD veteran, accused of breaking into the Oxford Street home with others and stealing jewelry, has been suspended without pay, according to the department.

As many as four other burglaries in Nassau and Suffolk now are being investigated for possible links to the case, said the official, who asked not to be identified.

"The investigation is continuing; we are actively involved," an NYPD spokeswoman said.

The NYPD joined the case after the FBI and police in Nassau and Suffolk alerted city internal affairs investigators that a city police officer might be involved, the official said.

The FBI is looking into whether Astacio committed other illegal activities as a vice squad detective that might involve official corruption, a federal crime, law enforcement sources said.

Astacio is free on bail in the Suffolk case.

At his home Tuesday afternoon, a man who only identified himself as Astacio's brother emerged from the house, which was besieged by reporters, to walk a dog.

"My brother is a good man, a good father," he said. "We're going to get this straightened out."

Astacio's attorney, Judith Vargas of Manhattan, didn't return telephone calls and an email seeking comment.

Neighbors said Astacio has extensively remodeled the house in the past year and told them he had a successful Internet business selling sports uniforms.

With Robert Kessler and Alison Barnwell