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Burglary, drug convictions could send brothers to prison for decades
YOUNGSTOWN
An assistant Mahoning County prosecutor said he’ll likely recommend a couple of decades in prison for two brothers convicted of a series of burglary and OxyContin trafficking charges.
Martin P. Desmond made that statement after a jury convicted Zoltan Kozic of all burglary and OxyContin trafficking counts lodged against him, and his brother, Jamie, of all but one count each of burglary and attempted burglary.
The six-man, six-woman jury rendered its verdict Monday afternoon after more than four hours of deliberations.
“There’s a lot of counts, a lot of evidence and two weeks of trial, and we had 60-some witnesses and about 200 pieces of evidence, so I thought the jury did a really good job of sifting through all that,” Desmond said after the verdict.
The Kozics face up to 90 years each in prison when they’re sentenced at 1 p.m. Sept. 1 by visiting Judge Thomas P. Curran of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who presided over the trial.
At Desmond’s request, the judge ordered that both defendants remain jailed pending their sentencing.
Zoltan J. Kozic, 37, of East Calla Road, New Middletown, was convicted of all five burglary counts and two OxyContin trafficking counts.
Jamie D. Kozic, 31, of Wilson Street, Struthers, was convicted of seven burglary counts, one count each of attempted burglary and possessing criminal tools (a screwdriver), and three OxyContin trafficking counts.
Both men also were convicted of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Zoltan Kozic’s lawyer, Jeffrey Limbian, and Jamie Kozic’s lawyer, Douglas King, said appeals will be filed on behalf of their clients.
The Kozics rejected Desmond’s pretrial offer to recommend a 10-year prison sentence for each defendant in exchange for their pleas of guilty as charged.
The Kozics’ sister, Jennifer V. Kozic, 34, of East McGaffney Avenue, Lowellville, is scheduled for a trial beginning Sept. 26 on two counts of OxyContin trafficking and one count each of burglary, receiving stolen property, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
The OxyContin trafficking occurred early in 2010 in Mahoning County, and the burglaries occurred in late 2009 and early 2010 in Parkman, Hubbard, Boardman, Poland and Columbiana, according to the indictment.