Penn Hills Burglary Suspects Plead Guilty

Three Penn Hills men have pleaded guilty to a string of burglaries in which they tried to mimic organized crime.

Lou Amendola, 24; Phil Vecchio, 22; and Shane Kesneck, 23, were arrested in August 2010 and appeared Tuesday before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill Rangos to plead guilty to planning and participating in a string of burglaries in the Plum, Penn Hills, Pittsburgh and Wilkins areas.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the men referred to themselves as "The Penn Hills Family" and adopted the customs and traditions of La Cosa Nostra, the Italian Mafia.

Following the plea, Amendola and Vecchio were sentenced to 16 to 42 months in jail and ordered to pay restitution.  Kesneck was sentenced to 13 to 26 months in jail and also ordered to pay restitution and all three men were also ordered to serve two years probabtion at the completion of their prison terms.

Thomas Maxwell, 21, also was a member of "The Penn Hills Family" and a Penn Hills resident. His hearing has been continued for Jan. 27.