Loxley Criminals Plead Guilty to Polysilicon Heist

Loxley’s Willie Richard Short and George J. Welford have admitted to a brazen scheme that netted them over $2.6 million in stolen polysilicon.

The pair, aged 62 and 61 respectively, have pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Kristi K. Dubose for conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and conspiracy to launder proceeds from the sale of the stolen material.

Short and Welford, residents of Loxley and Gautier, Mississippi, were caught with their hands deep in the theft of high-purity semi-conductor grade polysilicon from a Theodore, Alabama manufacturing plant. The crime spanned from early 2009 until January 2014, during which they transported the stolen goods, hidden in lunch boxes and backpacks, across state lines.

According to United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown for the Southern District of Alabama, the culprits searched for buyers online under aliases, arranging cash transactions in various cities including Mobile, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida, and Shreveport, Louisiana.

The defendants admitted to conspiring to steal at least 42,000 kilograms (42 metric tons) and 29,000 kilograms (29 metric tons) of polysilicon respectively. The stolen goods were valued at approximately $2.6 million on the market.

This case was a joint investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Donna B. Dobbins and Christopher J. Bodnar.