A Sayville man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for carrying out a series of armed robberies and attempted robberies at convenience and liquor stores in Suffolk County last fall, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
Michael Perko, 52, pleaded guilty in February to Robbery in the First Degree and related charges stemming from incidents in Holtsville and Huntington Station in November 2025.
Prosecutors said the crime spree began on November 11, 2025, at approximately 4:02 a.m., when Perko entered a Holtsville gas station wearing a dark multicolored ski mask, dark coat and black gloves. Authorities said he pointed a rifle at the employee and demanded money. The worker threatened to call police, and Perko fled without taking anything.
Later that same day, around 7:52 p.m., Perko entered a liquor store in Holtsville while holding a rifle and pointed it at the cashier, ordering him to empty the register. When the cashier told him there was only a small amount of money inside, Perko again left without taking any proceeds.
The following morning, November 12 at about 4:10 a.m., Perko entered a 7-Eleven in Huntington Station displaying a black rifle. He pointed the weapon at an employee, handed him a bag and demanded money, cigarettes and lottery tickets. The employee complied before Perko fled the store.
Police arrested Perko later that night at approximately 9:39 p.m. as he was entering another 7-Eleven. Investigators recovered items connected to the robberies inside his vehicle, including lottery tickets, cash, cigarettes, a rifle, a cartridge and a magazine.
“This sentence reflects the serious harm that this defendant’s crime spree inflicted on businesses and families across Suffolk County,” Tierney said in a statement. “No community should have to live with the fear that their neighborhood stores will be targeted by an armed offender.”
Perko pleaded guilty on February 4, 2026, to one count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and two counts of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, Class C felonies.
On March 11, 2026, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The case was prosecuted by Keri Wasson of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Major Crime Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Suffolk County Police Detectives Joseph Bianco and Michael Stella. Perko was represented by the Legal Aid Society.
Photo: SCDA.
