Behind the solemn oak pillars of the Butler County Courthouse last week, a sentence was handed down that echoed across five counties. Steve Nichols, 57, a Florida resident, received a 2½ to 20-year prison term for masterminding a string of distraction burglaries that preyed on some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens. In a packed courtroom, dozens of victims and family members looked on as Judge Daniel Holloran described the crime as “a profound betrayal of trust,” noting that older homeowners often open their doors without hesitation when approached by someone in a uniform or bearing tools.
According to a July 16, 2025 press release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Nichols, alongside his son, Archie Marino, posed as utility workers to deceive residents in Butler, Erie, Indiana, Lackawanna, and Westmoreland counties. Investigators from the Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section reviewed bank records, rental agreements, cellphone logs, and doorbell camera footage before presenting their findings to a Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. Nichols will be eligible for parole after serving the minimum term of 2½ years, though the potential 20-year maximum looms over his future.…