A Bellevue businessman has admitted to a scheme in which he bought stolen goods from drug addicts for pennies on the dollar and then resold them on Amazon, earning him at least $400,000.
Thach Luc Le, part-owner of Last Call Entertainment, had been indicted in 2020 in U.S. District Court following an investigation by federal agents and police.
Le, 37, who has homes in Washington County and Florida, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and a related count of money-laundering.
Last Call is in the business of selling second-hand electronics.
But agents said Le also bought over-the-counter goods, such as medications and health and beauty aids, that he knew had been shoplifted by drug addicts at various retailers and drugstores.
Three other people co-own the Lincoln Avenue store and are identified in the indictment only as TJ, DW and JM, but only Le, known as “Tucker,” has been named as a defendant.
From 2013-16, he or employees under him accepted the stolen goods from addicts who walked into the store with the goods still in the original packages.
Le paid them small amounts, then sold the items on Amazon through an account called “fastshipelectronicsoutlet.”
Customers bought the stolen items on the site, and Le then shipped them through the mail. Every two weeks, Amazon collected the money from sales on the fastshipelectronicsoutlet site and wired the money to Le’s Citizens Bank account.
U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak accepted Le’s plea and released him on bond pending sentencing.
Torsten covers the courts for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at jtorsteno@gmail.com.
