A brazen fencing operation run by a Connecticut man has come to an end. William Reidell, 42, of Branford, has been sentenced to three months of imprisonment, followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release, for his role in the operation.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, Reidell’s co-defendants, George J. Connelly, Jr. and Paul Muzyka, operated a licensed secondhand store, Ace Amusements, located at 42 Kimberly Avenue in New Haven. The store knowingly purchased stolen property from ‘boosters,’ who typically had opioid addictions. The boosters stole the goods from retail stores such as Home Depot, Target, CVS, and Lowe’s, and sold the goods at Ace Amusements for approximately one-third of their retail prices.
Connelly and Muzyka then resold the stolen goods at Ace Amusements, and also online at websites such as eBay. They also sold property to resellers, including Reidell, who then resold the property online using online websites.
The trial evidence showed at least $1.5 million in sales on eBay from 2007 to 2016 by individuals, including Reidell, who purchased stolen items at Ace Amusements to resell online.
On May 23, 2018, Reidell was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and one count of interstate transport of stolen property. Connelly was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and two counts of interstate transport of stolen property.
On March 16, 2018, Muzyka, of North Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and one count of interstate transport of stolen property.
Reidell, who is currently out on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on December 3, 2018.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the New Haven, North Haven, Milford, West Haven, Wallingford, Hamden and Orange Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and David T. Huang.
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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