Glastonbury police have arrested the woman who they say was the accomplice of a woman who stole more than $26,000 in jewelry from a real estate open house in January.
Sharon Lynn Nigosanti, 43, of 30 Trinity Street in Hartford, was arrested in May, and police say Angela Ruitto, 26, of 20 Briarwood Drive in Old Saybrook, was her accomplice.
Police said Nigosanti and Ruitto were targeting high-end houses for sale across the state. The investigation began when officers learned that $26,249.92 in jewelry was stolen from a Glastonbury open house on Jan. 20.
According to police, the homeowner reported that three bracelets, two pairs of earrings, five necklaces and two rings were missing. The jewelry had been hidden from plain sight.
The real estate agent holding the open house told police she believed the suspects had also attended two other Glastonbury open houses that same day. Another agent in town said $60 in cash and other items had gone missing from that house as well.
Police said the women were also suspects in open-house thefts in Clinton and Southington. The homeowner in Southington reported that $8,000 in jewelry had gone missing.
After checking a pawnshop database, police found that Nigosanti had made 33 transactions between Aug. 7, 2012 and Feb. 3, 2013, mostly for jewelry.
Both women were charged first-degree larceny. Ruitto was also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.
Nigosanti was held on a $100,000 bond and appeared in court May 6.
Ruitto was released on a $75,000 surety bond and was due in court Aug. 29. She has a history of drug offenses, including possession of narcotics and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
Photo Credit: Glastonbury Police