Man Sentenced For Sealing $300K From Girlfriend's Grandmother

A Trevose man who stole $300,000 from his girlfriend's grandmother has been sentenced to 18 months to five years in state prison, the Bucks County District Attorney's office announced.

Daniel Costantini, 30, of Trevose, was arrested in October with more than $55,000 in cash, 231 bags of heroin, three-quarters of a pound of marijuana, an AK-47 rifle with ammunition and several Xanax tablets found in his Bensalem motel room.

Costantini admitted to police he got the money by breaking into girlfriend Ashle Kaucher’s grandmother's Middletown Township home the month before.

Costantini pleaded guilty in March to burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and possession of illegal drugs and paraphernalia.

Authorities say Carolyn Kaucher reported a lock box containing approximately $300,000 had been taken from a safe in her master bedroom. A rear window had been forced open, and police found two palm prints from Costantini on the outer glass, the District Attorney's office said.

While Ashle Kaucher denied involvement, she did acknowledge buying a car with some of her grandmother’s money, and having used some of the marijuana and heroin purchased with the cash, authorities said.

She pleaded guilty Feb. 16 to receiving stolen property and was sentenced to serve 11 months and 29 days to 23 months and 29 days in the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

Carolyn Kaucher told authorities that Costantini and her granddaughter have been in a relationship for close to a decade, and that she “treated him as my son.”

“What he did was pretty devastating,” she said.

About $95,000 of the money has been recovered. A judge ordered Costantini to pay additional restitution of $200,000.

In court, Costantini blamed the burglary on drug addiction. “I’m not making excuses, but I was desperate,” he said. “I was using 20 bags (of heroin) a day. It was bad.”

The case was investigated by the Bensalem Township and Middletown Township police departments.