A former Terminix employee who pleaded guilty to stealing expensive jewelry from customers’ homes over at least four years has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Hector Orozco, 44, of Fort Worth, apologized for his crime before he was sentenced Monday in Tarrant County District Court.
"I'm not perfect by no means, but I really am truly sorry,” he said.
Orozco denied he targeted the elderly.
But prosecutors said there was no doubt. In a search of Orozco’s house, police found a long list of customers with handwritten notations like “old lady” and “can’t remember anything,” Fort Worth officer Andy Morquecho testified.
Orozco admits he wore shirts with Terminix’s logo, even after he got fired in August 2013, set up bogus appointments with former customers and stole jewelry and heirlooms.
Libby Page, 81, was one of the victims.
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Orozco took the wedding ring she proudly wore for 57 years not long before her husband died.
"I was so proud of it,” she said last July.
Page couldn't be in court for Orozco's sentencing. She died in December.
But her daughter did testify.
"It was awful,” Susan Gill said.
Orozco also took Molly Lassiter's family silverware.
"It made me feel really crummy,” Lassiter said. “I mean, you've been taken advantage of."
Willard Stansbury's wife, 73, says the same about her stolen heirlooms.
"Some of it can't be replaced,” she testified.
Orozco's defense: He took the jewelry, in a misguided attempt to punish Terminix for firing him.
"Me wanting to get back at a company that let me go from a job that I liked is not an excuse,” he said.
But prosecutors pointed out his crime spree started before he was fired. One victim from Weatherford came forward after news coverage about Orozco’s arrest.
Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Lori Burks argued Orozco’s motivation was greed, not revenge.
He showed no emotion as Judge Elizabeth Beach sentenced him to 20 years – the maximum possible sentence.
"It's a reflection of how vulnerable the victims were and how extensive his crime was for years,” prosecutor Burks said.
Terminix issued a statement last summer calling Orozco’s actions "inexcusable" and saying they do not reflect the values of the company.
