Burglars Scammed Residents With Home Improvement Ruse: Police

MORTON GROVE, IL — Morton Grove police have arrested two men in connection with several residential burglaries in the area, including an incident in Northbrook where one intruder, allegedly caught in the act, masqueraded as a painter.

Police think the pair is part of a same group of criminals who target elderly residents with phony home improvements. Once they gain entrance, they steal jewelry or other valuables.

Anthony “Spyder” Miller, 19, of the 3800 block of North Sawyer Avenue in Chicago, appeared in court Thursday in Skokie on felony residential burglary charges from the Morton Grove, Northbrook and Chicago police departments. He was ordered held without bond until his next court appearance June 15.

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At the time of his May 3 arrest, Miller was out on bond facing charges of aggravated home repair fraud. He has now been charged in connection with a report of an April 4 burglary at a home on the 1400 block of Arbor Lane in Northbrook, according to Northbrook police.

In that incident, Northbrook police said the homeowner stepped out of his bedroom and encountered an intruder, later identified as Miller, on his upstairs landing. Miller claimed to be a painter, which the resident thought was suspicious.

As he walked the purported painter out of the house, Miller allegedly pointed out parts of the house that needed fresh paint, got into a blue minivan and left the scene. Within hours, the resident realized jewelry was missing and called Northbrook police.

Miller is also charged over an incident that took place in Morton Grove. He and his friends entered the home of a widow in the 6600 block of Golf Road and stole jewelry that belonged to her late husband, according to Morton Grove police.

The multi-jurisdictional investigation has turned up at least one more arrest so far, with more incidents in Lincolnwood still under investigation, police said.

A veteran Morton Grove sergeant with years of experience on a regional burglary task force recognized the description of the burglars. Police said he showed some images of one of them to some victims and they managed to identify 69-year-old Des Plaines man Lawrence “Skippy” Miller.

"Skippy" Miller was identified as one of three suspects who carried out a ruse burglary on a home in the 9400 block of Overhill in Morton Grove in March 2017. He told police at the time he has not carried out a ruse-type scam burglary for 20 years, according to police reports. (“Skippy” is unrelated to “Spyder” according to Morton Grove police.)

The initial incident report said the older Miller claimed to be working on a neighbor’s house installing sprinklers, but the supplemental report said, when confronted by Morton Grove police, he denied recognizing any of them. He also declined to tell police who he was working with that day, denied being at the alleged victim’s house and denied any involvement in the robbery, according to police reports. Miller denies any wrongdoing.

Top photo | Anthony "Spyder" Miller | Cook County Sheriff's Office