Former business owner admits selling stolen items online

A former Bellevue business owner pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges for selling stolen goods on Amazon.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh said Thac Duc Le, 37, formerly of Peters and now of Davie, Fla., entered the plea before District Chief Judge Mark Hornak.

According to the information presented by prosecutors, from April 2013 through August 2016 Le operated a business in Bellevue called Last Call Entertainment.

“While Last Call was a second-hand reseller of small electronics goods, Le also participated in buying health and beauty products (makeup, lipstick, etc.), over the counter medications (ibuprofen, aspirin, dietary supplements) and a wide variety of miscellaneous products (teeth whitening strips, electronic toothbrushes, pet products, small electronics like calculators, etc.), all purchased from walk-in sellers,” according to a news release.

“These walk-in sellers were almost always addicted to various drugs and had shoplifted the products they were offering for sale to Le from local retail merchants. The Court heard of evidence that Le paid these walk-in sellers pennies on the dollar and in turn resold these stolen items on Amazon and that Amazon in turn paid him, by electronic funds transfers, more than $400,000 during the time period of the Indictment,” the release continued.

Le was released on bond pending sentencing.