A man and a woman under investigation for a series of open-house burglaries across California pleaded not guilty to felony charges.

Sara Neal, 28, and Richard Maloney, 29, were arrested June 19 in Huntington Beach, in southern California, in connection to a spree of open-house burglaries that spanned as far north as San Francisco — and authorities in Laguna Beach, Orange, Brea and Irvine now suspect the duo of similar crimes up and down the Pacific Coast, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In each case, Maloney distracted a real estate agent overseeing the open house while Neal scoured rooms and pilfered goods, police told the paper.

“Neal admitted to the Laguna Beach crimes, while Maloney remained vague about his involvement,” LAPD Sergeant Jim Cota told local outlets. “Neal and Maloney are believed to be responsible for over seven residential burglaries related to open houses throughout the State of California.”

Maloney pleaded not guilty to one felony count of first-degree burglary and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime involving a burglary. Neal pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of first-degree burglary, two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, court records show.

Courtesy of Huntington Beach Police Department

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×