A serial burglar who authorities say preyed on the homes of young women on the East Side of Red Bank and photographed some as they slept has taken a plea deal that could put him in state prison for eight years, the Star-Ledger and the Asbury Park Press report.

Mauro Vasquez-Galvan, a 27-year-old borough resident in whose apartment investigators found some 361 stolen items, pleaded guilty to ten counts of burglary, attempted burglary and invasion of privacy, according to the reports. He’s scheduled to be sentenced October 3 by Super Court Judge Paul Chaiet in Freehold and could be eligible for parole in four years.

Facing trial on a 57-count indictment handed down in April, Vasquez-Galvan “chose to accept full responsibility for his role in the events leading up to his plea,” his attorney, Christopher Campbell, said in a statement emailed to the Press.

Mr. Vasquez-Galvan risked deportation from a country he loves and, frankly, waived many meritorious defense arguments in an effort to pay his debt to our society,” Campbell said. “Rather than avail himself of his constitutional rights, Mr. Vasquez-Galvan elected to take responsibility and plead guilty to ensure the victims receive the closure they deserve.

The charges stem from two attempted and five completed residential burglaries that occurred in May and June 2007 in the area of Mechanic Street, east of Broad Street, in Red Bank.

Authorities termed Vasquez-Galvan a “relentless thief” who targeted the homes of sleeping young women, from whom he stole iPods, jewelry and other items, and whom he sometimes took intimate photos of with stolen cameras. Some of the pictures were later found photo albums of his victims and in a digital frame in his home, police said.

The 19 auto burglaries and related theft charges follow a string of car break-ins that occurred from October 2006 through June 2007 in the same area, prosecutors said.

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