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WILKES-BARRE — After just a few hours of deliberations, a jury found Jeremy Cieniawa guilty on all counts after he was accused of stealing a home right out from under a 95-year-old woman.
Prosecutors say Cieniawa gained the trust of the now 95-year-old woman and took advantage of that trust for personal gain. Prosecutors played a videotaped interview with the victim on Thursday.
She said she didn’t know her house was being sold and didn’t remember if she gave him permission to sell it.
Cieniawa was brought to Luzerne County Courthouse Thursday morning. He covered his face with a manila envelope. He had no comment.
Prosecutors say this all began in 2021 when he was allowed to live rent-free with the 93-year-old woman who is now 95, under the condition that he do repairs and maintain the home.
Hazleton detectives say in October of 2022 Cieniawa allegedly posed as her nephew and sold her house without her fully understanding what was taking place.
Prosecutors say he sold the home where she lived her entire life for $77,000 and allegedly spent all but $4,000 on himself. The victim was in the courtroom but again did not testify in person.
The jury viewed a recorded interview where she said she did not know her house was for sale.
Cieniawa maintains his innocence, and defense lawyers argue that he took good care of the victim for some three years as her primary caretaker.