Mormon imposters sentenced to 7 years to life in prison

Two men who used the Mormon religion as a disguise in order to enter a Las Vegas home and commit robbery were sentenced to seven years to life in prison Tuesday.

Abraham Austin and Robert Estall dressed in matching white collared shirts, black ties, black pants and black shoes and beat Terence Delucia while robbing him at gunpoint in June 2013.

Less than three months ago, a jury found the men guilty of robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, burglary and battery charges.

They had reportedly approached Delucia’s front door in a Spring Valley neighborhood, posing as missionaries who wanted to talk about religion.

Prosecutor Michael Schwartzer said the crime took “a significant amount of premeditation.” Estall and Austin wanted marijuana and cash they believed was inside Delucia’s home, prosecutors have said.

Delucia, who admitted to smoking pot but said he only sold small quantities to friends, testified that about an ounce of marijuana and $3,000 cash was stolen during the robbery.

Estall wielded a handgun, though he never fired.

“They’re lucky this didn’t turn into something more deadly,” Schwartzer told District Judge Michelle Leavitt.

Defense lawyers said Austin and Estall served in the Air Force together.

Austin’s attorney, David Fischer, told District Judge Michelle Leavitt, “The totality of his life has been positive.”

When the men first knocked on Delucia’s front door, they told him they wanted to speak with him about Jesus and handed him a pamphlet, Delucia said.

A security camera outside Delucia’s home captured the men as they approached the door.

Delucia tried to turn them away, but when he attempted to shut the door, he felt Estall’s arm around his neck. Then a hand covered Delucia’s face as he called to his wife, Ida.

After the surveillance video that captured the phony evangelists drew wide media attention, people across the valley became wary of opening their doors to Mormon missionaries, Schwartzer said. The Delucias moved out of state because of the crime.

One of the men struck Delucia with a handgun on the right side of his head, causing him to bleed.

They led him to the garage and demanded marijuana before forcing him face down on the ground. They told him to start counting before they fled.

Estall’s lawyer, Robert Draskovich, did not dispute the allegations but downplayed the kidnapping charge.

“This kidnapping, if we’re going to treat it as such, was incidental to the robbery,” Draskovich said. “The movement from the house to the garage was not so substantial that it substantially increased the risk to the alleged victim.”

At trial, Estall told jurors that he was “looking for quality marijuana at a reasonable price” when he and Austin drove to the Delucia home. The defendants did not intend to pose as Mormon missionaries, Estall told jurors, but instead had been instructed to wear business attire so they wouldn’t arouse suspicion from neighbors.

Both Estall and Austin declined to speak about the case during the sentencing hearing Tuesday.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker