Houston burglary victim says restitution lags after fake utility worker theft

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An elderly Houston woman says men posing as utility workers stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry from her home. And while two suspects have been sentenced, she and her family say the court system is still failing them.

Marge Vlasak and her son say Houston police did their part by arresting the suspects, but they now question whether the courts are enforcing the punishment and restitution that were ordered. They say they have repeatedly called, emailed, and even sent a certified letter after receiving only one restitution check. They say no one responded. Late Monday, the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department addressed the case.

The burglary happened in November 2023 and was captured on the Vlasaks’ home surveillance system. One man approached Marge at her west Houston home, claiming to be from CenterPoint Energy.

“He came right in through here and said, ‘I’m CenterPoint Energy, can I talk to you for a minute?'” she recalled.

He told her they “needed to cut her trees,” luring her to the backyard. As she walked away, two other men with covered faces rushed inside.

“They moved real fast,” she said. “They went in my bedroom, in the closet where it’s closed off, picked the safe up, and walked off.”

Inside that safe was more than $200,000 in jewelry, cash, and family heirlooms.

“The amount of financial damage to my parents is overwhelming,” her son, Todd Vlasak, said. “They took away their security in retirement, which is way more important than the sentimental value.”

Two men, Nicky Mitchell and Paul Tom, were arrested and charged. In April, Judge Hilary Unger sentenced Tom to five years of probation. In July, Mitchell was given six years of deferred adjudication, with a requirement to repay the Vlasaks $50,000 in restitution at $700 per month.

According to Marge, she has received only a single check.

“I think they need to pick him up and put him in jail,” she said.

On Monday night, the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department told ABC13 that the court believes Mitchell is making a good faith effort to meet his restitution obligations and has been under supervision only since September.

The agency says Mitchell has paid nearly $1,700 to the court, though the victim has received less than half of that so far. Mitchell’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Marge says she can only hope more payments will come, though no amount of money will restore her sense of safety.

“You never get over that fear,” she said. “I stand in my closet and say, ‘I can’t believe those suckers.'”

Her son says he plans to continue pressing the system on his parents’ behalf.

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