Sentencing Set March 26 for Defendants in Spring Hill Jewel Theft Case

Matthew Petrucelli (spelled Petruccelli in some reports), Micheal Ornelas and William Granims are due to be sentenced March 26 by Judge Daniel Merritt Jr. in a case prosecutors say involved a string of burglaries that hit Hernando County businesses and a Spring Hill jeweler hard. “Trio will learn their fate more than a decade after the crimes they committed,” the local report states.

Petrucelli entered into an open plea of no contest for one count of racketeering and four counts of burglary of a structure with damage greater than $1,000, the report says. The story explains: “Unlike a guilty or not guilty plea, a no contest plea allows a defendant to accept punishment without formally disputing or accepting guilt. It is often used to avoid liability in a future civil lawsuit.” The article also notes that “the former charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, while life imprisonment could be imposed for the latter.”

Prosecutors say the defendants - part of a burglary ring active from 2015–2017 - burglarized multiple businesses across the state, including Dan‑Lo Jewelers in Spring Hill. “Between 2015 and 2017, the three defendants burglarized 10 businesses in Hernando County, including Dan‑Lo Jewelers in Spring Hill, where they allegedly took more than $1 million in jewelry and cash,” the report states. “Statewide, they are suspected of stealing approximately $16 million in merchandise from 23 stores.”

The trio was arrested and charged in November 2019 after Granims turned on his accomplices, going to the office of the Palm Beach County Resident Agency of the FBI and divulging everything, the article says. The case “was assigned to Judge Merritt and is still not settled after more than six years,” the report adds, language that sits alongside the 2015–2017 timeframe and the November 2019 arrest in the published account.

On procedural posture, the report says Ornelas and Granims had already pleaded no contest before the court set the March 26 sentencing. “On Friday, Ornelas and Granims, both of whom had already pleaded no contest, were also scheduled to be sentenced on March 26,” the account states.

Defense counsel declined to discuss the case ahead of sentencing, according to the article. “Petruccelli’s lawyer, Clermont-based John Kruse, declined to comment until after the sentencing. Attorney Michael Conageski, located in Brooksville and representing Granims, also declined to comment. The State Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment as of press time.” The March 26 hearing before Judge Daniel Merritt Jr. will determine the sentences the men face under the counts described in the charging documents.