Stolen Goods

Police discover chop shop in Milwaukie:

That charming not white trash at all couple are 29-year-old John Dupille and 26-year-old Cori Lee McCullar of Milwaukie, Oregon. They were arrested for running a car chop shop and a fencing organization. Guess which website they used to sell their massive cache of stolen goods. Why every criminals favorite website for stolen goods, craigslist.

McCullar was also busted for meth possession. There’s a shock.

Thanks to Greg for the tip.

I got an e-mail from a man named Justin not too long ago. Just an oridnary guy, married for 10 years and no criminal record.

Justin bought a laptop off of craigslist that was worth $800 but he bought it for $500. He fixed the computer up and sold it to a coworker of his.

Turns out that the laptop was stolen. Police contacted his co-worker who in turn said that they bought it from Justin. Now that the craigslist ad has disappeared police are looking to charge Justin with dealing in stolen property.

Justin told me that the guy’s e-mail address is dial_tone@yahoo.com. The guy also had a website at miamicomputerrescue.net which has now been suspended.

Hopefully Justin can get someone of reason to listen to him and have the charges dropped.

I can’t believe the amount of reader e-mail I keep getting. For a small site like this it’s a lot. I don’t mind at all. I’m just glad that people are becoming educated about craigslist scams.

The following comes to us from Martin who was trying to buy a car off of craigslist…

Hi there. I am glad I stumbled upon your site. I just wanted to post the worst craigslist experience I’ve had. Overall, I do get good experiences but this time was a run with a major con artist who advertised a vehicle for a price that was a bargain but not too cheap where it seemed too good to be true. In fact, he answered his phone and was ready to show the
vehicle and his ad said he had the pink slip.

I brought 6k in cash with me and met this seller who really played the part well as a rich early twenties kid who needed the money fast to fix his primary vehicle. I test drive the car and ask him if I could have a mechanic down the street take a quick look. This was not part of his plan
but he agrees. I then ask him about the pink slip. He states to have left it at home (he now claims that his brother posted the ad for him)..and we could drive the car together and get the pinkslip at his house. While the car was in the shop, I told him instead of waiting, lets go get the slip…he agrees.. but once in my car, he demands the cash upfront and I resist. I believe his accomplices were worried on what’s taking him so long. He freaks out and tells me to turn around and cancel the deal.

I am puzzled as to why he cancelled. I went home and lo and behold, I googled the name of the registered owner and turns out to be an older couple! The wife of the owner had a blog on myspace venting that their car (the car I was buying) was stolen that same morning.

Turns out the crook responded to the owner’s sale ad and stole the car pretending he was going to test drive it but took off before the owner could get into the passenger side.

Seems like I foiled his final attempt to swap the vehicle for cold hard cash that I had. I am shocked as to what my fate could’ve been if I did not delay him and took him to where he wanted me to take him. I could’ve been robbed, ambushed or shot just for my cash. I am working with law officials now to apprehend. We have surveillance and prints ready and ill keep you
updated on our results.

Thank you Martin. Hopefully now more people will be wary when buying a used car from craigslist and hopefully ask the right questions like you did.

Deputies find stolen hard drives for sale on Craigslist:

Sacramento police were alerted to some 250GB hard drives being stolen. Police decided to look on craigslist and lo and behold there were some 250GB hard drives sale marked ‘first com first served’.

Police arrested 21-year-old Eduardo Quiroz who was selling the hard drives. Also arrested were Edgar Hoffman, 45, and Lynda Hoffman, 41.

Police: Pembroke man ran craigslist clearinghouse for burglars:

Our favorite joint police task force, the W.E.B. Major Crimes and Drug Task Force, has struck again and this time it’s not for prostitution.

28-year-old Benjamin M. Stone of Pembroke, Mass had his house raided by the W.E.B. Task Force. It turns out that Mr. Stone is an alleged fence who would buy and sell stolen items. He was tripped up when one of his customers tried to sell some equipment he got from Stone on craigslist. The seller than dimed out Stone.

Also arrested were John Sullivan, 30, and John Pennio, 24, for receiving stolen goods.

I wonder what would happen if craigslist users weren’t allowed almost unlimited anonymity? Hmmmm.

Roseville police arrest 3 men in theft of tires, rims:

Police in Roseville, California have arrested three men for trying to sell stolen rims and tires on craigslist.

Police were first notified when a local car dealer found that cars on their lot had their rims and tires stolen and the cars were left on milk crates. They didn’t even have the courtesy to use blocks.

Police arrested 21-year-old Sam Shahbazi, 41-year-old Gabriel Castillon Garcia, and 19-year-old Edwin Gabriel Garcia. The Garcias even had stolen tires and rims on the truck they were driving.

I never understood the whole ‘rim’ culture but to each his own I guess.

Craigslist Becomes Home For Copper Thieves:

This article basically states that since scrap copper selling is so regulated copper thieves are turning to craigslist. Because as we all know craigslist doesn’t regulate crap.

Craigslist the new marketplace for stolen goods:

Check out the video report behind the link from Oregon TV station KDRV.

It just amazes me how regulated pawn shops are but yet craigslist isn’t.

Police Warn of Stolen Goods On-Line:

Jennifer Szostecki of Nashville, Tennessee was arrested ion Saturday for selling stolen goods. Where was she selling them? Why craigslist of course. She is accused of having stolen $10,000 of professional audio equipment and trying to sell it for $3,000. Szostecki was out on parole for arson and robbery, go figure.

Luckily the victim was able to identify his equipment on craigslist and Szostecki was arrested.

Police in the article also state something very important that craigslist users should know. It is possible for the buyer to be charged with receiving stolen goods. So keep that in mind when you see a deal that’s too be true on craigslist.

Banks man arrested after stolen tools pop up on Craigslist:

19-year-old Jared Skirving of Banks, Oregon is accused of being a thief and a an all around dumbass.

Skirving was arrested for stealing tools from a construction site close to his home and trying to sell the tools on everybody’s favorite black market craigslist.

Police state that they found all of the stolen tools except one at his house.

In the not quite a year I’ve been doing this site one of the most common questions I get is “My (insert name of item here) has been stolen and placed on craigslist. What do I do?” That answer is a very simple one. Call your local police and enlist their help.

I know there have been stories on here where citizens have taken matters into their own hands and have been successful in getting their stuff back but I do not recommend that. It only takes a split second for a situation like that to turn into a tragic one.

Please leave law enforcement in the hands of professionals.

It seems that solar panels are the new hot stolen item to try and fence on the internet.

In Tuscon, Lisa Stokes had 4 panels stolen off of her house and found one for sale on craigslist.

In Santa Monica, California police arrested Nathan Tyrone Mitchell for auctioning off a solar panel on eBay. Mitchell is accused of stealing several panels from a water basin.

Solar panels are not exactly what you would call discreet items to sell on the internet.

Man arrested trying to sell stolen motorcycle on Craigslist:
21-year-old Stephen George Sorenson of Gilbert, Arizona was arrested for selling a stolen motorcycle on craigslist. He even admitted to undercover police that he thought the bike was stolen.

At about 10 p.m., two undercover detectives arrived at Sorenson’s residence acting as potential buyers and matched the VIN with the records of the stolen motorcycle. They also saw that the motorcycle’s factory markings had been covered with black spray paint. Sorenson told them he suspected it was stolen and that’s why he lowered his asking price. Even after police suggested that he turn it over to authorities or dump it, Sorenson offered to sell it to them for $1,000. Other officers then arrived to arrest him.

There’s nothing like making the cops’ jobs easier.

Stolen trailer finds its way back to Boy Scouts:
This is lower than low. A gopher looks at this story and goes “Damn, that’s low.”

Some nefarious cretin stole an equipment trailer from a Minnesota Boy Scout troop, with all their gear still inside. Where did it end up? Why craigslist of course. However the story has a somewhat happy ending. The man who bought the trailer from the crook discovered that it was a Boy Scout trailer and returned it to the scouts.

However the Scout’s equipment is still gone, the craigslist buyer is out $1,600, and the perp is still at large.

Couple Nabs Thief Who Stole Their Electronics:
Convicted thief Michael Griffin broke into the home of Annie and David Warner of Ohio Sunday night. Griffin allegedly stole a slew of electronics from the Warners. One of those items was a GPS unit.

After calling police, David Warner got an idea and searched local websites, including ebay and craigslist… finding lo and behold a gps just like his missing one, in a new posting on craigslist.

Long story short David Warner set up a meeting with the seller and happened to bring the police along with him.

Michael Griffin had cleared all of the information out of the gps unit, that might have helped Warner identify his personal property… but what Griffin didn’t know is this gps also has a function that allows you to save photographs. Much to Griffin’s dismay and the police officer’s surprise… the first photo that came up… was the smiling Warners.

D’oh!

Griffin is in jail on $50K bond.