HARRISBURG – Seven suspects were charged in connection with a burglary ring that operated in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties.
Acting Attorney General Bill Ryan said the Allegheny County-based ring netted nearly $210,000 as the result of at least 10 burglaries in Butler, Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties from February to April 2010.
Evidence and testimony regarding the burglaries was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges being filed.
Ryan said that in early 2010, local and state police began to see an upsurge in the number of daylight burglaries in the northern and eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh.
The grand jury identified the ring leader as John Balicki of Monroeville, Allegheny County. Balicki allegedly burglarized residences during the daytime hours, when owners were typically at work. Balicki’s main associates, who aided in burglaries or received stolen property, were identified as Matt Barth, Ty Brown and Kelly Kuzbicki.
According to the grand jury, the organization targeted larger homes located within housing developments. Balicki and his associates allegedly drove throughout neighborhoods and “cased” residences trying to determine whether the home looked substantial enough to be burglarized.
Ryan said that Balicki and his associates wore brown shirts, brown pants, hats and gloves and pretended to be landscapers. Balicki allegedly knocked on the front door of homes and if someone answered the door he would offer landscaping services. If there was no answer, Balicki would allegedly go to the back of the house and broke in, while the lookout remained out front.
The organization allegedly used walkie-talkies or text messages to communicate and were skilled at bypassing or disabling alarm systems and avoiding detection.
The grand jury found that the group targeted homes for cash, credit cards, driver’s licenses, passports, coins, jewelry, video games, cameras, guns, laptop computers, DVDs, gaming consoles and other items, which could be sold quickly. During one burglary, Balicki allegedly took the keys from inside a home and stole a white Chevrolet Tahoe from the residence, which was eventually found by police in Ohio.
According to the grand jury, most of the stolen items were sold to other members of the organization, sold at local pawn shops or stored in cars. On occasion, Balicki hid jewelry and other items at area locations until it was ready to be sold, including near a bowling alley and under a pile of wood behind a car dealership.
During the course of the investigation, Ryan said state and local police executed a number of search warrants and seized, several duffel bags containing jewelry, silver proof sets (coins), DVDs, video games, gaming consoles, digital cameras and laptops. A Jeep Liberty, Chevrolet Tahoe and firearms were also recovered.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned before Cranberry Magisterial District Judge David Kovach. They will be prosecuted in Butler County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Ahwesh of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section.
Ryan thanked the Pennsylvania State Police, the Cranberry Township Police and the Municipality of Monroeville Police for their work on the investigation.
Below is a list of the defendants and the charges against them.
–John Balicki, 29, 104 Independence Court, Monroeville, Allegheny County, is charged with 25 counts of receiving stolen property, 22 counts of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, 14 counts of burglary, seven counts of persons not to possess firearms, two counts of attempted burglary, two counts of attempted theft, two counts of attempted receiving stolen property, one count of corrupt organizations, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Matthew Barth, 29, RR #2, Box 61, West Finley, Washington County, is charged with 12 counts of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, 12 counts of receiving stolen property, nine counts of burglary, three counts of persons not to possess a firearm, two counts of attempted theft, one count of attempted burglary, one count of attempted receiving stolen property, one count of corrupt organizations, one count of criminal conspiracy, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Kelly Kuzbicki, 28, 334 4th Ave. East, Beaver Falls, Beaver County, is charged with five counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of burglary, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Kyle Smith, 25, 421 Valley View Drive, Monroeville, Allegheny County, is charged with four counts of receiving stolen property, four counts of persons not to possess firearms and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Christopher Black, 20, 520 Sunnyfield Drive, Monroeville, Allegheny County, is charged with one count of receiving stolen property, one count of persons not to possess firearms and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Ty Brown, 33, 505 East Crawford Ave., Connellsville, Fayette County, is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
–Michael Koebler, 25, 413 Valley View Drive, Monroeville, Allegheny County, is charged with one count of receiving stolen property and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.