March 26, 2014 at 1:59 p.m.
Charges filed in connection with 2011 Three Lakes home invasion
Charges filed in connection with 2011 Three Lakes home invasion
Daniel Frausto, 38, is facing felony counts of first degree reckless injury, armed burglary and armed robbery with the threat of force. Those charges, as well as pending charges in other counties, could mean significantly more prison time for Frausto who is currently incarcerated in Waupun Correctional Institution. Frausto's supervised release on a prior felony conviction was revoked. At the moment, the earliest he may be released is March 10, 2017, according to the Department of Corrections website.
For the last two years charges in multiple jurisdictions have been filed against Frausto and two other men suspected of operating a burglary ring spanning 12 counties. The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department led the investigation which began in 2012.
That investigation has tied Frausto to an incident that occurred Feb. 9, 2011 in the town of Three Lakes in which the owner of an adult entertainment business was robbed at gunpoint by two men in his home. The victim was also shot in both legs by one of the suspects.
According to police reports detailing the incident, the victim said he was lying on the couch in his living room when he heard a knock on the front door. There were two men dressed in snowmobile suits and wearing black face masks who told him they had run out of gas. The man said he told them there was a gas can in the garage that they could use. A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. This time, when he responded, the man said he was struck in the head with what he believed was the butt of a pistol.
He told police that the two men entered his home and began demanding money. One of the suspects held him down while the other suspect went through his house and continued to demand money. The man said he then heard a gunshot and felt pain in his legs. Shortly after the shot was fired, the suspects left. Nothing was taken from the home.
For more than a year after the incident, investigators had no leads. In March of 2012 representatives from multiple agencies came together in Winnebago County to investigate a series of similar crimes involving three suspects taken into custody including Frausto.
According to the criminal complaint, in an interview with investigators Frausto talked in detail about the February 2011 Three Lakes home invasion. The information was consistent with the initial statement made by the victim.
Frausto said he made the decision to rob the man, in part, because he had netted approximately $50,000 during the robbery of another adult entertainment business. He said he and his accomplice made several trips to the Oneida County area to prepare for the robbery. During one of those trips, Frausto said he located a box for a safe in the victim's garage and determined that the safe was likely located in the residence.
According to the complaint, Frausto said he did not intend for the man to be shot during the robbery. He told investigators the man was not cooperating and wouldn't provide the combination for the safe. He said the man was "getting squirmy" and he told the other suspect to shoot him if he kept moving. Frausto said he was only trying to scare the man into cooperating. When the other suspect shot the man in the legs, Frausto said he "lost all interest in finishing the robbery" and left the home.
The Oneida County case represents the eighth set of pending charges against Frausto. He also has open cases in Portage, Calumet, Dane, Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Waupaca counties dating back to 2012. Co-defendants in some of those cases include Robert Miles, 29, and Edwin Hughes, 26, who are also currently in custody as they await for various cases to be resolved.
According to online court records, Frausto has a criminal history in Wisconsin dating back to 1993. Most recently he was sentenced to prison on theft and false imprisonment charges in a 2007 Outagamie County case. He was released in April 2010 after successfully completing the Department of Corrections' challenge incarceration program, a program that aims to provide inmates with personal resources that will help them successfully reintegrate back into society.
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
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