Copyright: Daily Mail
The ringleader of an American theft ring that has stolen and re-sold millions of dollars worth of cartridges has pleaded guilty to his involvement.
Reuters reported yesterday that George Athanasatos from Brooklyn has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a theft ring that “stole more than $12 million of electronics and ink cartridges from big-box retailers and resold them on websites such as Amazon and eBay”.
Attorney general Eric Schneiderman revealed that Athanasatos had pleaded guilty to charges of “attempted enterprise corruption, money laundering and possession of stolen property”, as a result of which he faces a sentence of 3 and a half to 7 years in prison. He must also forfeit a sum of $439, 205 (€373,062).
In March of this year a total of 12 people were indicted for their alleged involvement in the theft ring in the wake of a 10-month probe which was dubbed “Operation Sticky Fingers”. So far seven have pleaded guilty, including Joseph Pooler from Pennsylvania and Robert Scarano from Las Vegas, both of whom admitted enterprise corruption charges. They, too, face prison sentences for their crimes.
“These guilty pleas, and the forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of dollars, mark a major victory in what was one of the largest-ever busts of a retail theft ring,” revealed Schneiderman in a statement. “Retail theft is not a victimless crime,” he continued. “Ultimately, consumers pay higher prices while the perpetrators of these schemes cash in.”
Investigators working on Operation Sticky Fingers revealed that the crime ring had stolen cartridges and electronics from the likes of Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot, targeting retailers in 28 different states.
Athanasatos was known as the “Field Marshall” of the ring and reported to Manhattan resident Richard Rimbaud, dubbed “The General”. Among his criminal actions Athanasatos “provided gear and equipment to help crew members carry large quantities of goods and evade store security”, Schneiderman said.
Athanasatos’ lawyer, Joseph Mure, revealed in an interview that “He isn’t totally happy with the time he needs to do, but he wants to put this past him and go on with his life.”
Pooler’s lawyer said “his client was remorseful and wanted to take responsibility for his actions” while lawyers for Rimbaud and Scarano have not yet deigned to comment.