A man connected to eight burglaries where purses were stolen from vehicles was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Gabriel Tovar, 46, will serve time in the Arizona Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices.

“Despite prior grants of probation and periods of incarceration, this defendant has continued to commit crimes," Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery stated. "Today’s sentencing is fitting for a defendant with four prior felony convictions who has repeatedly targeted and victimized elderly members of our community. He committed the present offense within six months of release from prison and while he was under supervision for a previous burglary.

"Those advocating for criminal justice reform would do well to take this defendant’s case under consideration as an example of a prosecutor’s office utilizing our State’s repetitive offender sentencing statutes to safeguard the public and not as a default tool.”

Between the start of June and the end of July of this year, Mr. Tovar targeted older women who were alone at shopping centers in the West Valley.

He would contact the women either in the parking lots of the shopping centers or after following them home.

Mr. Tovar would usually try to convince the victim there was something wrong with their cars. Once the victim went to look for the bogus issue, Mr. Tovar would take their purse and leave in his truck. He then quickly used the victims' credit or debit cards for purchases.

Mr.  Tovar was arrested July 31 by adult probation and was interviewed about his involvement in the crimes. He admitted to investigators he was tricking women to take their purses.