Valiesse Thelusma, 30, of Orange, has been sentenced to five years of probation by Superior Court Judge Michael A. Petrolle in Essex County. Thelusma was also ordered to pay $9,625 in restitution to GEICO Indemnity Company and to serve 200 hours of community service. Thelusma agreed to pay a $5,000 civil fine. The sentence was based on Thelusma’s March 12 guilty plea to third-degree theft by deception. The charge was contained in an Essex County grand jury indictment returned on December 17, 2010.

In pleading guilty, Thelusma admitted that on Dec. 5, 2006 he reported to the Irvington Police Dept. and to his auto insurance carrier, GEICO, that his 2002 BMW 325 had been stolen, when, in fact, he had hidden the car in a private garage. A number of months after the insurance claim had been paid, police learned that the car was parked in the garage and the vehicle was discovered.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi noted that New Jersey law provides that there is a presumption against any sentence of incarceration for a person convicted of a third-degree crime who has not previously been convicted of an indictable offense.

Deputy Attorney General Geraldine D. Zidow and Detectives Wendy Berg and Cortney Lawrence were assigned to the investigation. Zidow represented the state at the sentencing. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi thanked GEICO Indemnity Company and the Irvington Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.