District Man Sentenced To Over Nine Years In Prison

For Series of Burglaries Targeting Senior Citizens
-Defendant Posed as a Cable Company Worker to Gain Entry Into Houses-

     WASHINGTON – Tyrone Calliham, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years and two months in prison for a series of burglaries and thefts, all targeting senior citizens, in which he gained entry to the victims’ residences by posing as a cable company employee, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Calliham pled guilty in November 2014, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts count of first-degree burglary of a senior citizen; three counts of attempted first-degree burglary of a senior citizen, and one count of first-degree identity theft. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Upon completion of his prison term, Calliham will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, Calliham’s crimes spanned a period of several years. They took place in daylight hours, with Calliham typically knocking on the doors of senior citizens’ homes and pretending to be a cable company employee or a former cable worker. In at least one incident, he was wearing a shirt with the company’s logo. He typically said that he needed to come inside the homes to check the wiring or offered to perform services that would lower monthly cable bills. Once inside, he headed into various rooms and took money, wallets, credit cards, cellphones and other items. He pled guilty to charges stemming from five incidents on four days. The crimes took place in Northeast and Northwest Washington on Oct. 1, 2010; Aug. 16, 2013; June 26, 2014, and July 10, 2014. Victims ranged in age from 73 to 90.

     In one incident, for example, on July 10, 2014, Calliham approached a 75-year-old woman outside her residence. He stated that he used to work for a cable company and he offered to do electrical work. She accepted. She allowed him into her home so he could see the circuit breakers. He then asked her to stand by the circuit breakers, saying he would yell to her from outside to turn them on and off. The victim stood by the circuit breakers, waiting, until a neighbor came to check on her some minutes later after seeing the defendant leave the location. He had left with the victim’s wallet.

     Calliham was identified last year after he was caught on surveillance video and after he brazenly left his name with one of the victims. He was arrested in North Carolina and extradited to the District of Columbia. Far from being ashamed of what he had done, prior to his arrest, on his Facebook account, Calliham “Liked” an article on a news website about his own crimes.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. Finally, he commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Bruckmann, of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section, who investigated and prosecute the case.

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