TRENTON, N.J. – A brazen scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Barnes & Noble stores has landed a Middlesex County man in hot water. Dominick James Izzo, 49, of Piscataway, New Jersey, and Port Orange, Florida, pleaded guilty to transporting stolen goods and tax evasion.
Izzo used a ‘booster bag’ lined with aluminum to evade anti-theft alarms when stealing merchandise from Barnes & Noble stores in New Jersey, Florida, and elsewhere. He then listed the stolen goods on eBay using nominee seller accounts to conceal his identity and accepted payment via nominee PayPal accounts.
Once Izzo received funds via domestic wire transfer from the purchasers, he shipped the stolen merchandise from New Jersey and Florida to the purchasers in several different states. The scheme netted Izzo $399,485 in income over the course of three years, which he failed to report to the IRS.
As a result, Izzo owes the government approximately $67,360. The transportation of stolen goods count to which Izzo pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The tax evasion count carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced the plea, crediting postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation for their investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lakshmi Srinivasan Herman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. Defense Counsel Patrick McMahon Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, will represent Izzo at sentencing.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2016. Izzo faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines if convicted on both counts.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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