WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who was robbed in February at his Caribbean vacation home by a man armed with a machete, recently was the victim of a burglary at his residence in Washington, a court spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said no one was home at the time of the burglary, which was discovered May 4 by a housekeeper. The Washington, D.C., police were investigating, she said.

Breyer and his wife, Joanna, have a townhouse in Washington's upscale Georgetown neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the February incident on the island of Nevis, the intruder stole about $1,000 but no one was hurt. Breyer, his wife and two guests were present at the time.

There have been previous instances of crimes involving U.S. Supreme Court justices.

In 2004, then-Supreme Court Justice David Souter suffered minor injuries when he was mugged by a group of young men as he jogged alone near his residence in Washington.

In 1996, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had her purse snatched as she walked home with her husband and daughter from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to their nearby residence in their Watergate apartment complex. No one was hurt.

(Reporting By James Vicini)

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