Two Plead Guilty to Stealing $2.6M in Metal Imported Thru Baltimore
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced that Thomas Jefferson and James Robinson have pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess stolen goods from a foreign shipment, in connection with the theft of aluminum, nickel and other metal that had been imported through the Port of Baltimore. Another individual, Alan Verschleisser, also pleaded guilty to the same charge in December 2011. The defendants' illegal scheme caused $2,611,314 in losses.
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(According to their plea agreements and other court documents, Jefferson was employed at a binding company in Baltimore called Bindagraphics. Verschleisser owned and operated a salvage yard called Industrial Metals/Early Corp. Robinson drove a tractor trailer for a company that delivered aluminum T-Bars to S.H. Bell Company, a warehousing company that stored and transported metals, minerals and semi-finished industrial materials shipped to the Port of Baltimore, including nickel briquettes and ferrochrome. Nickel and ferrochrome are used in steel production.)
Sold Stolen Aluminum T-Bars from Baltimore Warehouse to Scrap Metal Dealer
In early 2010, Jefferson began to steal aluminum T-bars from S.H. Bell's storage lot and temporarily stored the stolen aluminum at Bindagraphic's warehouse. He approached Verschleisser about selling the stolen aluminum T-Bars, who contacted another Baltimore scrap metal dealer that agreed to buy them at a scrap metal price.
Verschleisser sold 268,044 pounds of aluminum T-Bars for $205,274. In order to avoid the bank's currency transaction report requirements for cash withdrawals more than $10,000, Verschleisser made 31 withdrawals of less than $10,000 totaling $191,762. He also failed to file an individual or corporate tax return reporting that income. Once Verschleisser withdrew the cash, he paid Jefferson approximately $500 for each aluminum T-bar that Jefferson stole, totaling approximately $70,000.
Also Stole Containers of Nickel & Ferrochrome Imported to Baltimore Port
In July 2010, an international business known as BHP Billiton Marketing AG sent a cargo ship carrying 264 metric tons of nickel briquettes from the Port of Freemantle in Australia to the Port of Baltimore. That particular shipment contained four sea containers holding 96 metric tons of nickel briquettes worth approximately $2.5 million. Once this shipment cleared customs at the Port of Baltimore, it was trucked to S.H. Bell for storage. However, because of the Labor Day weekend, the containers were left on S.H. Bell's outside lot to be unloaded after the holiday weekend. S.H. Bell also received two sea containers of ferrochrome, one container from Turkey and the other from India, worth a total of approximately $103,000.
Jefferson stole two containers of ferrochrome, four containers of nickel, and aluminum T-bars from S.H. Bell. The stolen containers were parked near Verschleisser's scrapyard and stored at Bindagraphics
Prospective Buyers Were Suspicious and Notified Baltimore Police
Verschleisser attempted to sell the stolen nickel, contacting prospective buyers in Australia and New York. A prospective buyer spoke with Verschleisser by phone and became suspicious when Verschleisser could not answer several basic questions about the nature of the nickel, such as its origin and price. The prospective buyer recalled an industry-wide bulletin sent by the company that owned the nickel, asking other metal traders to be on the lookout for someone trying to sell the stolen nickel. The prospective buyer contacted the company, which notified the Baltimore Police Department.
Police Arrested Men and Recovered Most of the Stolen Metal
A Baltimore Police detective questioned Verschleisser about his efforts to sell the stolen nickel, which he denied. Verschleisser told Jefferson about the call from the police and they agreed to move the nickel from Verschleisser's scrap yard by truck. However, later that day, the truck was stopped by the Baltimore Police and Jefferson and Robinson were arrested. Approximately 24 tons of nickel was recovered from the truck and another 44 tons of nickel were recovered from Verschleisser's scrap yard.
Each Man Faces a Max Sentence of 5 Yrs, $250K Fine
Each individual faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy and a $250,000 fine. Jefferson also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possessing stolen goods.