FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Monica Furber, 215.348.6297, mwfurber@buckscounty.org
A lifelong criminal who tied up and robbed an 81-year-old woman during a home invasion in Warrington was sentenced today to serve 10 to 25 years in state prison.
Jorge Maldonado, 59, whose criminal history dates to a 1971 burglary in Philadelphia, blamed his most recent crimes on heroin addiction.
On Feb. 11, 2015, Maldonado invaded the apartment of the elderly victim, tied her to a chair with duct tape, electrical cord and a scarf, and robbed her of cash and jewelry worth $3,000, much of it having sentimental value. After he left, the woman managed to free herself enough to call police.
“Remorseful or not … the fear that you put into that woman by simply entering her house was magnified several times by tying her to a chair,” said Bucks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley, whose punishment exceeded state sentencing guidelines.
Finley called the guidelines inadequate to protect the community from Maldonado, given his long criminal record that includes offenses involving weapons and violence.
The victim had directed police to a glove on the floor of her home that Maldonado had left behind. DNA testing linked the glove to Maldonado.
Maldonado was on probation for a theft conviction when he knocked on the woman’s door, claiming that his car had broken down before forcing his way inside. He told Finley that he was high on drugs at the time, did not remember the crime afterward, and “felt really bad” when he learned what he had done. He has since written the victim a letter of apology.
“I’m really sorry for what I did,” he said. “If I had been in my right mind, I wouldn’t have done this.”
Deputy District Attorney Monica W. Furber, who prosecuted the case, read off a list of 15 criminal convictions on Maldonado’s record, apart from the home invasion.
Finley sentenced Maldonado to 18 to 36 months on his probation violation, 21 to 48 months for a felony retail theft he committed in March, 10 to 25 years for burglarizing the woman’s home and 10 to 25 years for robbing her. He ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning Maldonado will not be eligible for parole until he is at least 68 years old.
Finley also ordered Maldonado to pay the victim $2,000 in restitution.
Approved for release by Michele Kelly Walsh, Deputy District Attorney.