Milburn J. Brock and Janice Marie Tyler
Prince Frederick, MD – A man and woman who had been renting a basement apartment from St. Leonard couple and were indicted this summer on charges they stole money their landlords’ estate entered similar guilty pleas during separate Calvert County Circuit Court hearings. Both Milburn J. Brock and Janice Marie Tyler pleaded guilty to theft scheme $10,000 to under $100,000; and obtaining property from a vulnerable adult $100,000 plus.
Tyler, 56, entered her plea before Judge E. Gregory Wells Monday, Dec. 5. She was represented by attorney Jacqueline Swanson. Brock’s hearing, held Friday, Dec. 9, was also in front of Wells. Brock was represented by Del Lynch of the Public Defender’s Office. Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Morgan represented the state at both hearings.
According to court documents, the landlords Brock and Tyler allegedly stole money from were Loren and Terrye Zaremba. Loren Zaremba, a retired nuclear physicist, died in 2012. Terrye Zaremba passed away in November 2015. This past April, Thomas Axley, the attorney handling Terrye Zaremba’s estate, contacted the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office when he detected the possibility of fraud involving the late couple’s financial affairs. One of the discrepancies involved the sale of the late couple’s Porsche and signatures that didn’t match ones on the vehicle’s title.
“Axley provided a copy of the bill of sale and vehicle title,” Detective Lord of the sheriff’s office stated in court documents. “I observed that the vehicle title was signed on Sept. 2, 2015 by what appears to be Terrye Zaremba. I observed that the bill of sale for the 2000 Porsche 911 was on a plain piece of paper also dated Sept. 2, 2015. I observed a signature of Loren A. Zaremba and a date of June 20, 2011 and the name Terrye Zaremba and address were underneath the signature. Axley stated that it appeared the signature of Terrye G. Zaremba on the title did not match the documents that he had on file with Zaremba’s signature on it. Axley provided me with a copy of a deed of trust from Jan. 27, 2005. I observed that the signatures did not match between the signatures for the deed of trust and the title.” Lord further stated in court documents that the estate’s attorney told him “he was concerned that Brock was cashing forged checks linked to Zaremba’s [bank] account. Axley also stated that he had observed Janice Marie Tyler’s name as a power of attorney in Terrye Zaremba’s retirement account.”
Lord further stated in court documents that he “observed several checks paid to Milburn Brock. Several of the checks written to Brock were after [Terrye] Zaremba had died.” Lord stated one of the transactions was a check “written to and signed by Milburn Brock for the amount of $3,500. The date on [the] check was Dec. 18, 2015.”
Both Tyler and Brock were sentenced to 15 years on the first count and Wells suspended all but six years. On the second count Tyler and Brock were both sentenced to 25 years in jail with all but six years suspended. The defendants were given five years of probation and the pair must pay $400,000 restitution to the Zarembas’ estate. Since the sentences will run concurrently both Tyler and Brock are to serve six years in jail.
During his Dec. 9 hearing, Brock declined to address the court.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com