WAUKESHA, Wis. — Jose Rosales Garcia, 65, of Milwaukee, was sentenced Thursday to 7.5 years in prison for his role in a series of high-value burglaries that targeted Wisconsin businesses, including a theft of more than $871,000 in computer equipment last summer.
Garcia pleaded guilty in Waukesha County Circuit Court to burglary conspiracy and money laundering under a plea deal that saw several other charges dismissed. Judge Ralph Ramirez handed down the sentence, which includes five years of extended supervision and $50,750 in restitution. Garcia received credit for 226 days served.
The case stems from a string of burglaries in June 2024. Prosecutors said Garcia and a group of men, including Yosvany Batista Agra of Miami, stole laptops from Vanguard Computers in Brookfield before targeting Paragon Development Services in Oconomowoc, where thieves cut holes in the wall and made off with more than 700 pieces of computer equipment.
Investigators linked the suspects through surveillance footage and FLOCK license plate cameras, which traced a Chrysler Pacifica rented in Florida to the crime scenes. Cellphone data showed communications between Garcia, Batista Agra, and others around the time of the burglaries.
Garcia told investigators he served as a lookout and identified Batista Agra as the ringleader of a 10-member theft network with Cuban family connections, operating across Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia.
Garcia remains the only defendant to appear in court so far. Arrest warrants have been issued for the other men involved.
Defense attorney Priya Barnes did not return a request for comment.
