Allegheny Co. Man Accused Of Making $2 Mil In Retail Theft Scheme
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Authorities say an Allegheny County man made more than $2 million by running a theft ring and selling stolen items online.
The Attorney General's office says a grand jury has recommended criminal charges against 50-year-old Anthony J. Cicero.
Cicero is accused of using drug addicts to help him, by paying them to steal items from various local stores.
"This defendant not only cost retail stores millions in lost inventory, but he also enabled and fed the drug addictions of multiple individuals," Attorney General Kathleen Kane said in a press release. "This was a case where the defendant exploited others at every turn."
Authorities say Cicero sold the items on Amazon.com and eBay.
They say he targeted several mass retailers like Barnes & Noble, Giant Eagle, Walmart, Staples and drugstores Rite Aid and CVS. He's accused of stealing, or having others steal a wide range of items from LEGOs to medical books.
"He would steal graphic novels. He would have them steal medical text books or books of that nature. He would go to CVS or head go to Giant Eagle," said Mark Serge, the senior deputy at the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Cicero also owns a record store called "Slipped Disc," where investigators say they found $44,000 in additional stolen merchandise.
KDKA went to Cicero's home in East Pittsburgh, but no one answered the door. At his record store in Oakland, a note is on the front door saying the store's closed so he can take his daughter to college.
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