Authorities have called the Bloomfield man a 'lifelong con man.'
Robert Kosch. (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)BLOOMFIELD -- A township man already serving a 20-year prison sentence is facing five or more years in jail after being convicted on unrelated drug distribution charges, authorities announced Friday.
In May of 2012, police in Belleville found Robert Kosch, 58, with some pill bottles that were unlabeled, and others that were labeled with different names, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced Friday. In the bottles were 699 oxycodone pills and eight Adderall pills, Assistant Prosecutor Nancy Hersh said in the announcement. Kosch was convicted on various drug charges in connection with the incident, authorities said.
Kosch, authorities said, has a long criminal history that includes theft and forgery convictions. In 2014, he was found guilty of renting out homes that he did not own in Sussex County. Authorities said Kosch targeted individuals in financial distress who had moved out of their homes, forged signatures to transfer the properties to himself, and rented out the homes.
He was sentenced in 2014 to 20 years in prison, and must serve six years before he is eligible for parole.
Sentencing for the drug charges is on Dec. 14, Essex County authorities said. He is facing five to 10 years on the charges, but prosecutors plan to ask the Kosch be considered a "persistent offender," which could increase the sentence, officials said.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
