2 More Sentenced in Scam Against Couple

Two members of a low-level organized crime ring were sentenced to a year in county jail Tuesday after admitting to stealing $3,000 from an elderly Ventura couple in a tree-trimming scam three months ago.

The group includes two other defendants, one of whom was too ill to attend the hearing and a fourth who received a lesser sentence last month. They have been described as a band of gypsies from Eastern Europe who use a well-known scheme to commit residential burglaries.

On Sept. 11, the group posed as city workers. They told Willard Merle, 85, and his wife, Helen, 87, that they needed to use the couple’s electric outlets for a tree-trimming project at a nearby house.

They offered to reimburse the couple $50 for the cost of the electricity. They gave the Merles a $100 bill and asked for change. After seeing where the couple kept their cash, the men radioed two accomplices who slipped inside the house and stole about $3,000 in cash and jewelry.

After the burglars left, the Merles called the police. The four men were caught driving away from the scene in a rental car.

The driver was identified as Mitch John of Tualatin, Ore. He pleaded guilty to a single charge of burglary Sept. 28 and was sentenced to 270 days in county jail. He must begin serving the term Jan. 4.

The other three defendants--Thomas Boyd, Sonny Miller and Earl Ely--pleaded guilty Oct. 21 to burglary charges. Miller and Ely initially gave authorities false names.

On Tuesday, Miller and Boyd were sentenced to a year in county jail. They must begin serving those terms on Jan. 20. Ely was ill Tuesday and did not attend the hearing.

The judge said Ely faces a prison sentence because of his lengthy criminal history for similar offenses on the East Coast. Over the last decade, he has been arrested for residential burglary in similar scams in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Authorities said charges are pending in Georgia and Illinois.

Under California’s three-strikes law, the sentences of all four defendants could be doubled if they re-offend. Law enforcement officials suspect all the men have been involved in other crimes.

“It’s the same scam,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Audry Rohn, who hopes the specter of a felony strike will serve as a deterrent against future burglaries.