Sacramento Man Arrested For Selling Millions In Stolen Items On Ebay
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Sacramento man is accused of running an elaborate nationwide multimillion dollar stolen property ring using shoplifters and eBay.
"Just brightened my day,' said Nick Ikeda, Guitar Center employee.
It was total elation from the manager at the Guitar Center in Sacramento.
"Just that feeling of 'ah, alright,' " he said.
Ikeda learned several people are in jail for their alleged involvement in a nationwide crime spree.
"Working as a team, hitting our stores, definitely a planned attack," said Ikeda.
The FBI says the mastermind was 32-year-old Jason Schroeder of Sacramento. Agents say he recruited several people, including his girlfriend, to shoplift at major retailers across the country such as REI, Guitar Center and others. He then sold the merchandise on eBay.
"We heard in some cases they're wearing the bodysuits under their normal clothing, slipping the guitars in there, keeping the guitars close to them, putting coat over them and walking right out," said Ikeda.
Seventeen-thousand products were stolen across the country, totaling about $3 million.
"They never gave me any inclination that something like that was going on," neighbor John Torgerson said.
Schroeder's neighbor says he lived in a three story luxury home overlooking the Sacramento River.
"I asked him where he worked, but he never gave me an answer. That's when he first moved in," said Torgerson.
The feds say Schroeder laundered the money by buying gold or getting cash and then paying his crew.
It came to an end when eBay investigators got suspicious and teamed up with the FBI.
"You see cops kick in his door and stuff," neighbor Robert Ramirez said.
The feds say one of Schroeder's alleged cronies was also arrested at a Sacramento apartment complex just last night.
"After seeing the FBI and stuff like that, it's pretty crazy," said Ramirez.
Schroeder and some of his alleged cohorts are being held without bail on federal charges.
