Attorney General Kamala Harris announced today the arraignment of two men who burglarized electronics retailers in five Bay Area counties and sold the merchandise on eBay.
Justin Mahlet, 37, of Sacramento and Jason Tate, 41, of Rocklin were arraigned today in Placer County Superior Court on 17 felony counts of burglary, one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and one count of evading an officer.
The burglaries resulted in $400,000 of losses in stolen goods and property damage. The stolen items included a $40,000 GPS device for land surveying, $10,000 amplifiers, cameras valued at $4,000 each, and other devices.
Mahlet turned himself in on July 13 and was released on bail set at $105,000. Tate turned himself in on July 19 and was released on $50,000 bail. Both Mahlet and Tate pled not guilty to the charges.
“This case is a prime example of state and local law enforcement collaboration to bring those who commit crimes online to justice," Harris said in a press release.
According to the Declaration in Support of Arrest Warrant from the California Superior Court in Placer County, on September 8, 2011, Sunnyvale Police Department officers were dispatched to VMI Video, Inc. in response to a silent commercial alarm.
Officers saw Mahlet and Tate leave the building carrying the items before dropping the items and fleeing, Mahlet in a truck and Tate on foot. The two were apprehended later that night.
Detectives later obtained search warrants for their residences and a storage rental unit in Rocklin, where there were numerous items from the burglarized businesses.
Investigators also uncovered eBay accounts associated with the defendants that listed high-end electronic items for sale that matched items from the burglaries.
The investigation was conducted by the Palo Alto Police Department and the Sunnyvale Police Department. The Attorney General’s eCrime Unit will prosecute the case, as the defendants allegedly committed the burglaries in multiple jurisdictions and used eBay to sell the stolen goods. Harris created the eCrime Unit last year to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes and cybercrimes.
