2 men get prison for missionary impersonation robbery in Vegas

2 men get prison for missionary impersonation robbery in Vegas

(AP)


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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two men who posed as religious missionaries have been sentenced to seven years to life in Nevada state prison after being found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges in a home invasion at a Las Vegas house.

Abraham Austin Jr., 29, and Robert Estall II, 26, made no statements before they were sentenced Tuesday by Clark County District Court Michelle Leavitt.

A jury convicted the two men in September of charges also including conspiracy, armed burglary and battery.

Austin and Estall, who each used to serve in the Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base, were seen on home security video wearing white shirts, black ties, pants, shoes and backpacks of a style commonly worn by Mormon missionaries as they approached Terence Delucia's home in June 2013.

Delucia testified he was grabbed around the neck and struck in the head with a handgun as the men gained entry. Delucia called out to his wife, Ida, who dialed 911. The couple's daughter was also in the home.

Defense attorneys said Delucia instructed Estall and Austin to wear the missionary-style clothing so they wouldn't draw attention in his neighborhood southwest of the Las Vegas Strip.

Estall's attorney, Robert Draskovich, disputed the kidnapping conviction stemming from allegations that the men led Delucia to the garage while demanding marijuana.

At trial, Estall told jurors that he and Austin went to Delucia's home to buy marijuana. Estall denied posing as Mormon missionaries, saying they had been told to wear clothes that wouldn't draw attention from neighbors.

Delucia testified that about an ounce of marijuana and $3,000 was stolen.

He later obtained a medical marijuana card, and testified that the pot he had at home at the time was for personal use and sale to friends. He was not charged with a crime.

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