Three men who allegedly broke into a Jamaica Estates residence and locked the homeowner out until the deed to the house was transferred to them could now be locked behind bars for years.
Brandon Sestoso, 33, his brother Chas Sestoso, 31, both of Hicksville, Long Island, and Jesse Kusinow, 32, of Howell, N.J., are accused of the crime, which District Attorney Richard Brown called a “truly bizarre case.”
According to the charges, after leaving her Grand Central Parkway home on the morning of April 29, the homeowner’s wife came back that evening to find that the locks had been changed and the three men were inside. They allegedly told her that they were working with the bank that held the mortgage on the property and that she could not gain access to her house until she signed documents regarding the property.
When she told them that her husband was the property owner and was in China, they had her call him, prosecutors said. The home invaders then told the husband about the documents he needed to sign, which included a deed transfer for the property, and emailed them to him. Though the husband allegedly signed and emailed back several of these documents, he did not sign the deed transfer, and continued to receive requests to do so.
The next day, the three gave the wife 10 minutes to retrieve belongings from the first floor of the home, according to the district attorney, at which time she noticed that it had been ransacked.
On May 12, the homeowner returned to the house and removed all the locks. Once inside, he found that the house was in disorder with missing property that included jewelry, knives, cash, and the deed and documents related to the ownership of his home.
Brandon Sestoso is currently awaiting arraignment on charges of second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and second-degree criminal trespass. Kusinow was arraigned on June 10 on charges of second-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and second-degree criminal trespass, and has been held in jail in lieu of $75,000 bail since that time. Chas Sestoso was arraigned on May 26 on charges of second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and second-degree criminal trespass. He was released on $10,000 bail.
All three face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
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