NH man gets 12 years for ‘violent’ York, Maine home invasion over marijuana
YORK, Maine — A New Hampshire man will serve 12 years in federal prison for his part in a violent home invasion in which he and three others targeted the residence for marijuana and cash.
Derek DaPrato, 35, of Hooksett, New Hampshire, received the sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and interference with commerce by violence. Authorities say DePrato and three others drove from Hooksett to a home on Rowe Falls Lane in York on Aug. 2, 2019.
Court documents state the homeowner was operating a marijuana manufacturing and distribution business at the home.
Police said DaPrato and three others — Jason Calendario, Luis Carpio and Andrew Soboleski — plotted the robbery, traveling as a group in two cars. They said the group brought a backpack containing duct tape, zip ties and empty garbage bags.
Previous story: Four plead guilty to heist that ended in gunfire
When they arrived, prosecutors said Candelario and Carpio got out of the car and hid in the woods near the home’s garage. When the homeowner backed into the garage, prosecutors say Candelario and Carpio rushed into the garage armed with handguns and wearing masks.
The homeowner was accompanied by two others, and a violent altercation ensued, according to prosecutors. They said the homeowner ended up on the ground with one of the robbers, while another robber came around the vehicle to help subdue the victim. They said a firearm was then discharged, and the bullet struck the homeowner in the lower abdomen.
The robbers then fled the scene, police say, and the homeowner’s girlfriend, who was in the car at the time of the incident, called 911. The homeowner was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the .45 caliber bullet from his abdomen.
DaPrato pleaded guilty to his charges Dec. 28, 2022. His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. He is the last of the four co-conspirators to receive their sentence, the others having pleaded guilty as well. They are collectively serving more than 44 years in prison.
The FBI, in conjunction with the York Police Department and the York County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case.
The Row Falls Lane home was also the target of another home invasion and robbery just three months prior to the August 2019 incident, and also resulted in the homeowner being shot. All three suspects in that attempted robbery are now serving prison sentences — Nathaniel Rivera, Eric Mercado and Steven Hardy.
Police said Rivera traveled to a York home with two women on May 3, 2019, where they met the homeowner and drank alcohol and went into a hot tub. While the four were in the hot tub, Mercado and Hardy entered the home and ordered the victim to go into a bathroom, but he refused and fled, which is when the robbers shot at him and hit him in the leg, according to court records.
Although police did not confirm the two incidents took place at the same residence or involved the same victim, neighbors said both took place at the same address and involved the victim.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH man gets 12 years for ‘violent’ York, Maine home invasion
