Assistant prosecutor Matthew Murphy offered all five defendants plea deals in exchange for their testimony.
SOMERVILLE -- Five members of an alleged ring of scam artists that targeted the elderly pleaded not guilty Friday in Somerset County Superior Court.
Sonny Mitchell, 44, of Rahway; Sonny George, 46, of Medford, Mass.; Stanley Mitchell, 37, of Edison; Steven Miller, 46, of Edison; and Ericka Mitchell, 32, of Cliffside Park each entered their plea before Judge Julie M. Marino.
These five individuals are allegedly members of a scam ring that was dismantled by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Task Force in August, when 12 individuals were indicted on 51 counts of racketeering and related crimes committed through the tri-state area, authorities said.
Others charged in the indictment were:
- Tim Mitchell, 41, of Cherry Hill
- Sonny Stanley, 43, of Cliffside Park
- Frankie Mitchell, 47, of Chicopee, Mass.
- Patrick Anthony Stanley, 27, of Cliffside Park
- Sable Sofia Edwards, 26, of Cliffside Park
- Nicky Anderson, 38, of Rutherford
- Teresa Vanessa Butch, 28, of Fort Lee
Bench warrants were issued on Tim Mitchell (fugitive), Sonny Stanley (Rikers Island), Frankie Mitchell (fugitive), Teresa Vanessa Butch (fugitive) and Sable Edwards (Rikers Island), none of whom appeared in court. Patrick Anthony Stanley pleaded not guilty last month. Nicky Anderson is due in court next week.
Assistant prosecutor Matthew Murphy offered Sonny Mitchell and Sonny George a plea deal that included a seven-year prison sentence in exchange for their testimony against their co-defendants. He offered Stanley Mitchell and Steven Miller five-year prison terms and Ericka Mitchell was offered 180 days in county jail and probation in exchange for their testimony.
The defendants' next court date is Nov. 13 for a status conference.
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An affidavit filed by Detective Jeffrey Vandergoot of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Task Force in March previously noted the arrests of Stanley Mitchell, Steven Miller and Sonny Mitchell.
The affidavit also reported similar residential distraction burglaries and thefts committed throughout the state by "Gypsy Travelers," who are frequently of Romanian or Eastern European descent. The prosecutor's office did not refer to the group in its most recent press release or in phone conversations as "Gypsy Travelers." It has, however, identified Steven Miller from the March arrest as Steve John from the recent indictment.
The investigation began in Dec. 2014 when the prosecutor's office investigated a "distraction burglary" committed in Somerville. A lone man approached a 90-year-old man who was raking leaves on his property on North Adamsville Road, authorities said.
The man claimed to be "with the water company" and asked to inspect the water pipes in the victim's basement, the prosecutor's office said. The homeowner escorted the man into the basement of his home, and, shortly thereafter, the man said the pipes were clear and exited the home, authorities said. The man later realized a safe containing his life savings had been stolen.
Between December 2013 and March 2015, male members of the enterprise specifically targeted the homes of elderly persons for distraction burglaries and thefts, authorities said.
Female members of the enterprise targeted elderly men for theft by deception, including operating a psychic shop in Fort Lee for the purpose of committing theft by deception, authorities said. They also allegedly conspired together to commit health care claims fraud and insurance fraud by filing fraudulent slip-and-fall claims with insurance companies and third party administrators, authorities said.
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Authorities said the male defendants have been indicted in residential burglaries and thefts, as well as attempted burglaries and thefts, committed in Somerset, Bergen, Camden, Hudson, Middlesex, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties.
Similar distraction burglaries and thefts were committed or attempted in New York in Westchester and Queens County.
The three female defendants allegedly conspired together to target octogenarian men for theft while simultaneously committing insurance fraud. Specifically, the indictment alleges that between December 2012 and July 22, 2015, Sable Edwards, along with her cousins Ericka Mitchell and Teresa Butch, were responsible for submitting 18 fraudulent personal injury claims to insurance companies and third party administrators who represented commercial businesses.
Authorities allege that phony slip-and-falls were staged at a number of businesses throughout the tri-state area.
The total amount of the fraudulent claims exceeded $150,000 of which the defendants netted approximately $36,000 from the scheme, authorities said. While many of the claims were denied by insurance adjusters, other claims were negotiated and settled, authorities said.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.