Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Couple who stole from local widow accused of violating terms of plea deal

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The Michigan City couple who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from an elderly Chesterton woman but--under a plea deal with the Porter County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office--received no jail time beyond that already served are now being accused of violating their probation by failing to make restitution to the victim.

Bary Bostic, 47, and Robbin Bostic, 41, with a listed address of 808 Manhattan St., were sentenced in July 2013 to eight years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with all but 16 months and 24 days suspended, the time they spent in the Porter County Jail while waiting disposition of their case.

Per the plea agreement, Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper ordered the Bostics to serve the balance of their sentence on formal probation, with Bary Bostic required to make restitution of $110,230 in equal monthly payments over the probationary period and Robbin Bostic to make restitution of $52,690 in equal monthly installments.

According to Probation Officer Mitchell Walczynski, however, Bary Bostic should have paid $19,534.48 through September 2014 but has paid only $150; and Robbin Bostic should have paid $9,337.44 but has paid only $150.

The Bostics have both denied Walczynski’s allegation. Harper has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Nov. 26 and an evidentiary hearing for Dec. 23.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Chesterton Police Department, in March 2012 officers responded to a burglary complaint in the 300 block of South 10th St., the home of an elderly--and blind--widow being cared for by the Bostics. The widow was not currently in residence but was staying instead at a hotel in Michigan City. A woman watching the house, though, advised police that she found a safe in the living room open. A short time later, one of the widow’s co-guardians arrived at the scene and advised police that the safe in question had contained silver and platinum bars and coins. She also advised that the Bostics had access to the residence.

Further investigation determined that a Michigan City jeweler who had, over the course of 30 years, sold multiple gold, silver, and platinum bars to the widow’s husband had recently re-purchased many of those bars and had issued several checks to the Bostics or to their real estate broker on their behalf.

Those checks include ones in the amount of $96,695, $56,224.45, $67,080.55, $42695, $14,755, and $45,000.

 

Posted 10/15/2014

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

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