A multi-agency investigation ended last week in the arrest of four individuals and the recovery of thousands of dollars of stolen property.
On May 19, the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, along with the assistance of the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, TAG Law Enforcement Task Force, the Warren Police Department and the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at the Genesee Avenue NE home of Maridee Costanzo as part of an investigation into stolen property.
The search warrant was the culmination of a month-long intensive investigation into a burglary offense that had occurred in early May in Parkman Township, where over $100,000 worth of antiques and historic artifacts were stolen from a residence, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Hiscox said in a May 22 press release.
Prior to execution of the search warrant at 155 Genesee Ave. NE, investigators conducted numerous interviews, surveillance operations, narcotics buys and undercover purchases of stolen property across three separate counties, recovering a large portion of the property stolen during the burglary, Hiscox said.
As a result of the investigation, investigators were able to identify and arrest four suspects associated with the burglary.
On May 12 and 13, investigators took Patrick Cameron, of Kent, Paul LaRose, of Rome, and Mariann Harris, of Rome, into custody for allegedly receiving stolen property, all fourth-degree felonies.
According to court records, Cameron’s and LaRose’s bonds were set at $50,000 cash or surety. Harris’ bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety. All three suspects had their cases bound over to the Geauga County Common Pleas Court for future proceedings.
Following execution of the search warrant, Costanzo was taken into custody for allegedly receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony. She was booked into the Geauga County jail last Friday and made an initial appearance Monday morning in Chardon Municipal Court. Her bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety.
Additional criminal charges against all parties are forthcoming awaiting the presentation of the incident to the Geauga County grand jury, Hiscox said.
Costanzo, 59, is a former Warren defense attorney who served eight years in a federal prison for trying to hire a hit man to kill her estranged husband, Warren attorney Roger Bauer, in 2005.
In 2014, U.S. District Court Judge David Dowd rejected her plea to release her early from federal supervision, WFMJ-TV in Youngstown reported.
At the time, Costanzo wrote to Dowd saying she had turned her life around and was working to obtain a master’s degree in substance abuse and chemical dependency counseling.
