Criminals used Amazon and e-bay to sell more than $12 million (€11 million) worth of stolen printer cartridges and electronics.
PC World reported that millions of dollars worth of printer cartridges which had been stolen from retailers were being sold on the online sites Amazon and e-bay and that this was carried out by a crime ring in the US.
New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, said that a dozen suspects had been accused and that a 64 year old man, Richard Rimbaugh, had allegedly been recruiting people “to steal the goods” from stores throughout 28 states for more than 20 years and that his “theft crews” stole the goods each week.
The crime ring was well organised and they were given “detailed maps of retail stores” like Staples, Office Depot and best buy as well as specially made “vests” to aid the shoplifting as well as “specialised electronic devices” to deactivate alarms at exits from the stores and to “eavesdrop on security staff”.
Rimbaugh created a company “American Media Soft” so that he could catalogue and “ship the stolen merchandise” which he ran from his New York flat, alleged Schneiderman. Thousands of users gave the company good reviews on Amazon and e-bay.
The members of the crime ring were paid 30 to 50 percent of each stolen items worth and were also issued credit cards to cover expenses for travel and hotels.
The US police have searched and confiscated goods worth more than $7.7 million (€7million) from suspects homes as well as 5,300 electronic devices and printer cartridges as well as financial accounts and Schneiderman is calling the indictments “one of the biggest busts of a retail theft ring”.
All suspects have been charged with “enterprise corruption, money laundering and criminal possession of stolen goods” and can expect to be sentenced to eight to 25 years in jail if found guilty.