FBI: Theft ring sold stolen goods via Amazon
Two contract drivers in Wash. allegedly involved
SEATTLE — A theft ring in Washington state sold millions of dollars’ worth of stolen goods over the past six years on Amazon.com, and a pair of contract Amazon delivery drivers was involved, federal court documents show.
According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed in U.S. District Court in Seattle and reviewed by
The Associated Press, two storefront businesses posing as pawnshops bought the goods from shoplifters, then had the items shipped to Amazon warehouses, where they were stored until they were sold online.
Entities associated with the alleged ringleader have made at least $10 million in sales on Amazon since 2013, FBI agent Ariana Kroshinsky wrote in her affidavit.
No charges have been filed, though investigators have raided the pawnhops and the home of the man identified as the ringleader, Aleksandr Pavlovskiy, 44, of Auburn. A man who answered the door at one of the shops Wednesday identified himself as Alex and said his business was legitimate, he kept good records and he should not be in any trouble.
Among those who provided stolen items to the pawnshops were two contract Amazon drivers, Kroshinsky said. Their job was to travel to Seattle-tacoma International Airport, pick up items being returned to the company, bring them to an Amazon warehouse and deliver items to post offices for shipping.
Instead, the drivers routinely stole the goods and sold them to the pawnshops, she wrote.
Amazon did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the case Thursday.
The investigation began last summer when a police detective in Auburn was perusing a record of pawnshop sales and noticed that one man had made 57 transactions. It turned out to be one of the drivers.
The man had received nearly $30,000 selling items to the pawnshops between February and July last year, the affidavit said.
Police arrested the driver but released him to avoid disrupting their larger investigation.
The other driver, identified as Abbas Zghair, was believed to be a roommate of the first. Amazon told investigators that Zghair stole about $100,000 of property, including gaming systems, sporting goods and computer products — items he sold to one of the pawnshops for less than $20,000, the agent wrote.
In an unrelated case, Zghair has been charged with murder after police said he shot and killed a man in an Auburn field in March, then fled to the Canada border, where he was arrested trying to cross with a fake ID. He’s currently being held on $2.5 million bail.
Both drivers worked for Amazon contractor JW Logistics, based in Frisco, Texas. It was unclear how long Zghair had worked for the company, but in 2015, he was convicted of reckless driving after leading police on a chase in excess of 100 mph and crashing into a field.
JW Logistics said a representative was not immediately available to comment after regular business hours Thursday.