Safe theft suspects facing jail time | Local News

Three Gloucester residents were told this week that they face time behind bars even if they agree to guilty pleas on charges they acted as a maintenance crew to enter an elderly North Andover woman's apartment and make off with a safe containing jewelry, documents and other belongings last December.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley told Michael Lorenzana, 39, of 14 Sadler St., that he could expect a prison sentence of three years and a day, while Sean Peres, 36, of 3 Lighthouse Way, would face two years and a day in state prison for their roles in the scheme that targeted an 81-year-old woman. 

Barbara Brooks Williams, 50, of Gloucester, would face a 2 1/2-year term in a house of corrections, said Carrie Kimball Monahan, spokeswoman for the office of Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

The three were in court Thursday for a lobby conference designed to let defendants know what terms a judge would impose if they choose to enter guilty pleas rather then go to trial, Kimball Monahan explained.

The conference included emotional testimony from the victim, according to Kimball Monahan.

In her statement, the victim told the court she "sort of lost it," once she realized what had happened at her apartment in the Royal Crest complex off Route 114..

"Fifty-four years of my life's treasures and memories were gone." she said. "I felt ill. My life was gone and changed.

"This has taken over my thoughts," she added. "I'm afraid to leave and afraid to come home.  When I do get home. I lock myself in and check all rooms and closets."

Lorenzana is charged with two counts of conspiracy and one count receiving stolen property. 

Peres and Brooks Williams are each charged with two counts of conspiracy and one count apiece of larceny of over $250 from a person over 60 and entering dwelling by false pretenses. 

A fourth Gloucester resident, charged with two counts of conspiracy in the case, Jacques Rodolosi, 31, of 2 Shepherd St., was not part of the Thursday conference, and the judge did not comment on his status, Kimball Monahan said.

All four defendants have been indicted and have been in custody since their arrests last April by Gloucester and North Andover police, Kimball Monahan said. Rodolosi's case was continued to Oct. 2, and the three other defendants will return to Superior Court on Oct. 2 as well to either enter pleas or opt to go ahead with trials. 

According to the DA's office, Peres and Brooks Williams had entered the victim’s apartment Dec. 26, claiming that they worked for the development's maintenance department and had been sent to make repairs in the bedroom.

Brooks Williams engaged the victim in conversation, police said, while Peres entered the bedroom. The victim subsequently discovered that a safe containing jewelry, documents and personal belongings had been stolen. Police said Lorenzana had been terminated from his job as a maintenance employee for Royal Crest, and had conspired with Peres and the other suspects to rent a U-Haul truck, gain access to the victim’s apartment, and make off with the safe.

In her statement Thursday, the victim told the judge that a maintenance man she knew only as Michael "pretended to befriend me" months before he was let go, and she wonders whether he had previously entered her apartment while she was gone. "He would have had keys," her victim's statement reads.

Months later, the victim said she has also not felt well physically since the theft.

"I relive that night constantly," she said. "No one has the right to do this to people."

Staff writer Ray Lamont can be reached at 978-675-2705, or via email at rlamont@gloucestertimes.com.