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Man who repeatedly harassed Lake Mathews family admits felony allegations
Riverside County Dec 01, 2022
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A probationer with a Kim Kardashian fixation who terrorized a Lake Mathews couple by illegally entering and vandalizing their home pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to a year in jail and 24 months probation.
Nicholas Scott Costanza, 26, of Lake Mathews admitted charges of stalking, burglary, vandalism and entering a property with intent to cause damage under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for Costanza’s admissions, prosecutors dropped nine related counts.
Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. In addition to the jail term and probation, the judge ordered Costanza to receive behavioral health counseling, though the duration wasn’t specified.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the defendant began harassing the husband and wife, identified in court documents as “Bruce H.” and “Cathy H.,” on Sept. 15, 2021, when he stood outside the front of their house shouting at 5 a.m., demanding the occupants’ attention.
When the homeowners confronted Costanza, he said that he’d been invited to the location by Kim Kardashian, who was supposed to be hosting a party there, prosecutors said.
When he was informed there was no party, the defendant left, but three days later, while the residents were on vacation, Costanza broke into the house and videotaped himself walking around, then posted the images on Instagram, according to investigators.
“He also inscribed black marker graffiti within the home and destroyed property inside and outside,” according to a DA’s office statement. “Damage to the home was estimated to be $11,000.”
When the victims returned on Sept. 19, they discovered the defendant squatting in the guest house, prosecutors said.
“He told them that Kim Kardashian gave him permission to be there,” according to the agency statement.
They ordered the defendant to leave, which he did, and the next day, the victims obtained a temporary restraining order against Costanza, but deputies were not able to locate him until October, at which point he was served with the order, prosecutors said.
It was learned during the process that, in June, Costanza had been served with a five-year restraining order issued by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, barring the defendant from having any contact with Kardashian. According to published reports, he allegedly sent the reality show performer a diamond ring and morning-after pills, as well as randomly appearing in her gated community, trying to access her property.
Despite the temporary restraining order, Costanza continued to harass the Lake Mathews victims, who in November 2021 filed for — and were granted — a five-year restraining order, prohibiting him from getting anywhere close to them or their property, according to the prosecution.
Last Jan. 7, he was captured on a security surveillance video camera using bolt cutters to break the lock on their security gate, the DA’s office stated. Three days later, he left a note in their driveway saying he was “God,” and directed the victims to leave their home so he could have it, prosecutors said.
That act resulted in the defendant’s arrest in Perris on Feb. 18.
According to court records, Costanza has prior misdemeanor convictions for breaking and entering, fighting in public, driving without a license and being in possession of controlled substances.
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