She was supposed to plead guilty last Wednesday for pilfering packages from the Redbrook mailhouse in South Plymouth last summer.
But Sunny McDonough, the former hair designer and a self-described “dreamer,” changed her mind when she realized the judge wasn’t going along with her lawyer’s sentence recommendation — one month in jail in exchange for a guilty plea.
After the judge heard from victims and a prosecutor, who ticked off the dozen other Massachusetts towns where McDonough has faced charges, Plymouth District Court Judge Shelby Smith said she would instead accept the prosecutor’s recommendation — one year in jail.
The year would begin after the 15-month sentence McDonough is currently serving for a probation violation out of Wareham District Court.
That sentence was imposed in March and represented the first time McDonough, an alleged serial thief, was hit with more than a few days of jail time, despite having 15 court cases for larceny over just a few years, records show.
McDonough, 46, of East Bridgewater, was arrested last September after an alleged Redbrook summer crime spree where she was caught on video in July and August rifling through packages and walking out with a lot of 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.
After the videos were circulated to law enforcement agencies, a Wareham probation officer identified McDonough, saying she was “100 percent sure” she was the woman in the photos. She had a distinctive tattoo that was visible in the videos.
On Wednesday, McDonough said “yes” when the judge asked her if the facts contained in the Plymouth police report were true.
But her lawyer, William Franzese, argued the 15-month sentence she’s already serving was sufficient and that judges in other courts have resolved similar cases without adding more jail time.
After the judge made it clear she wasn’t going to accept her proposal, McDonough withdrew the guilty plea and requested a jury trial, now scheduled for August 5.
In asking for more jail time, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney John Brainard argued that the Plymouth thefts were not aberrations or simple errors of judgment.
“As you can see, this is not an exception to the rule. This is the rule with Ms. McDonough,” he said, reeling off the names of other places where she has faced larceny charges:
Tewksbury, Franklin, Cambridge, Burlington, Chelmsford, Foxborough, Concord, Middleborough, Braintree, Quincy, Wrentham, and Watertown.
“It’s truly brazen the amount of cases that she’s picked up within a short period of time,” Brainard said.
“This is not just a case of somebody [who] maybe swipes some batteries that someone ordered over Amazon,” he said. “This is case that has real-life effects on the people you heard today.”
One of those people described how McDonough stole replacement parts for his sleep apnea machine, leaving him without the device that regulates his breathing at night.
“This is not someone who made a mistake,” said Sheldon Gringorten. “This is a career criminal. “
“I can’t even imagine the arrogance and disrespect Ms. McDonough must have for the legal system, let alone her callous disregard for her victims,” he continued. “She stole medical supplies from me that I need to maintain a machine that I use for a breathing condition.
“It is my fervent wish that this court will pronounce a sentence that will finally end Ms. McDonough’s nearly three-year-long crime spree once and for all,” he said.
Another victim, Cynthia LeTourneau, said the theft of her $250 sunglasses was “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.”
“Those sunglasses were expensive and personally meaningful, and they were not covered by insurance,” LeTourneau said. “But beyond the financial loss, what has stayed with me is the unsettling feeling of being violated in a space that should feel safe and protected.”
She said that many other Redbrook residents had packages stolen but didn’t report the thefts to police.
Rob Kennedy, whose daughters’ swimsuits were stolen from the mailhouse, said it was hard for them to understand why someone would do such a thing.
“It’s very disheartening and, quite honestly, I would like for Sunny to apologize to my daughter in person or by a letter showing remorse for her actions…Unfortunately, I don’t think there is remorse,” he said.
“It’s not as upsetting to me but to a young child it’s hard. I think Sunny has a daughter of her own and I hope this is a lesson that her daughter can learn from…You try to raise your kids the right way and for something like this to happen is very unsettling.”
The Plymouth case was the 15th against McDonough, court records show. She allegedly sold stolen merchandise through her Facebook page called “Couture Closet.”
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.