Sunny McDonough, the serial thief who swiped packages from mailrooms in Plymouth and more than a dozen other Massachusetts communities, pled guilty Wednesday to multiple felonies.
She was sentenced in Plymouth District Court to six months in jail, a term that will start after she wraps up a 15-month sentence for a probation violation in Wareham that began in March.
This was the second time McDonough, 46, of East Bridgewater, offered to plead guilty to the Plymouth charges.
On July 9, she intended to change her plea to guilty but backed out after learning that the judge hearing the case, Shelby Smith, was going to accept the prosecutor’s recommendation of a year of additional jail time.
McDonough’s lawyer, William Franzese, had asked for just one month of additional jailtime.
She withdrew the plea and scheduled a jury trial for Aug. 5.
But McDonough changed her mind again and on Wednesday, she came forward— this time before a different judge, James M. Sullivan. He accepted the deal that had been agreed upon by Plymouth County prosecutor, Joseph Presley, and Franzese.
She pled guilty to 10 counts of breaking and entering buildings to commit felonies, and larceny from a building.
McDonough, a former hair and makeup designer, was arrested last September after an alleged summer crime spree at the Redbrook community in South Plymouth. She was caught on video in July and August rifling through packages and walking out with merchandise, including designer sunglasses, swimsuits, and a blender.
She had entered the locked mailhouse on Wareham Road wearing a black Covid-style mask and using a resident’s stolen key fob.
She was identified by a Wareham probation officer, who recognized her in photos and videos circulated by police.
In court Wednesday, two of her victims read impact statements. Two other victims were not present but submitted written statements, which the judge read from the bench.
Sheldon Gringorten, one of the victims who was in court, described how McDonough stole replacement parts for his sleep apnea machine, leaving him without the device that regulates his breathing at night.
Cynthia LeTourneau, a Redbrook resident whose designer sunglasses were snatched from the community mailhouse, called McDonough’s actions “not only a violation of my personal property, but also of the trust and sense of security that should exist in a shared residential space.”
“Crimes like this might seem minor in isolation,” she added, “but when part of a repeated pattern, they reveal a clear disregard for both the law and the people affected by these actions.. I believe continued leniency only perpetuates this cycle. Enough is enough.”
The Plymouth case was the 15th against McDonough, court records showed. She allegedly sold stolen merchandise through her Facebook “Couture Closet” page according to social media posts.
She has had similar larceny cases in Quincy, Ayer, Lowell, Cambridge, Woburn, Wrentham, Concord, Brockton, and Wareham courts.
None of the Plymouth victims have recovered any of the stolen merchandise or received restitution.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.