Morris Prosecutor: Trio Sentenced for Home Burglaries in Chester and Mendham Townships

Published on July 07, 2017

POSED AS UTILITY WORKERS

Three men from the Chicago area were sentenced this week to incarceration after pleading guilty in connection to burglarizing homes in Chester and Mendham Township in a case brought by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office under the direction of Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp.

Sentenced on Wednesday in state Superior Court, Morristown, were Nicholas Costello, 26, and Sonny Costello, 28. Sentenced on Friday was Tony Thomas, 28. The crimes took place April 6 and the men pleaded guilty in May.

The men were arrested after targeting one home in Mendham Township and one in Chester Township.

Nicholas and Sonny Costello were each sentenced to 270 days in the Morris County Correctional Facility after pleading guilty to two counts of fourth degree Conspiracy to Commit Theft.

Thomas was sentenced to three years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree Conspiracy to Commit Burglary and one count of fourth-degree Receiving Stolen Property. The men were sentenced by Judge Thomas Critchley.

The investigation revealed that one suspect knocked on a home's front door dressed in a safety/utility vest similar to those worn by electric company workers in hopes of distracting the occupant while an accomplice entered through another door.

The public should be vigilant in being aware of these types of diversionary burglary schemes when an individual may pose as a utility worker and another individual enters a home to commit a crime, Prosecutor Knapp said.

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank Chester Township Police Chief Thomas Williver and Mendham Township Police Chief Ross Johnson for their departments' cooperation.

For more information, contact Public Information Officer Fred Snowflack at pressinquiry@county.morris.nj.us or (973) 829-8159.