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The case goes
back to late April when a woman returned to her home in the
city's Queens borough and discovered that the locks had been
changed and three men were inside. The trio claimed to be
working with the bank that held the mortgage on the property and
demanded that she sign papers, including a deed transfer,
according to county District Attorney Richard Brown.
"In a truly bizarre case, the defendants are accused of breaking
into a Queens residence and locking the true owners out, then
forcing them to negotiate with the defendants if they wanted to
gain access to their own home," Brown said.
The woman told the men that her husband, the sole owner of the
home, was in China at the time. They exchanged emails with him
but he refused to sign the papers, prosecutors said.
The homeowner returned in May with a locksmith, entered and
discovered the home ransacked, with jewelry, cash and other
possessions missing.
Brandon Sestoso, 33, and his brother, Chas Sestoso, 31, both of
Hicksville, New York, and Jesse Kusinow, 32, of Howell, New
Jersey, have been charged with burglary, criminal mischief,
unlawful eviction and criminal trespass. They face up to 15
years in prison if convicted.
Their attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.
The homeowners' identities were not disclosed.
(Reporting by Katie Reilly; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill
Trott)
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