A 50-year-old man who often posed a sewer worker while burglarizing homes was sentenced today to 425 years to life in prison.
A Sacramento County jury convicted Ceasar Fontillas of multiple counts of residential burglary, attempted burglary and one count of receiving stolen property. The court also found that Fontillas had previous convictions for residential burglary and arson, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. He was sentenced by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White.
From Sept. 14, 2009, to March 8, 2010, Fontillas prowled through neighborhoods in the Pocket and Elk Grove areas looking for homes to burglarize, officials said. Once he found a target house, Fontillas knocked on the front door to determine whether anyone was home. If no one answered after a few minutes, he forced the door open and ransacked the home, taking thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and electronics.
In several instances, Fontillas was confronted by homeowners as he attempted to commit or complete a burglary. When that occurred, officials said, he claimed he was a Sacramento Sewer Department employee who had been sent to the residence make to make sure the sewers were working properly.
Fontillas did work as shift supervisor for the Sacramento County Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, but he had no legitimate reason to be at any of the targeted homes. During this time, officials said, Fontillas sold numerous items that he had stolen to unsuspecting co-workers at the treatment plant.
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