A 59-year-old man from Bellevue, Washington, and Las Vegas was sentenced on July 29 in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison for operating a scheme that sold stolen goods online, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Andrey A. Balun pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce after jointly owning MBA Trading LLC with Vitaliy F. Bobak of Federal Way, Washington.
Balun and Bobak operated a Burien storefront under the name “We Buy Gold, Silver, and Electronics.” Law enforcement found that the business knowingly purchased stolen goods from area retailers and resold them on Amazon and eBay for millions of dollars. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said, “You were the driving force behind this operation, and you continued for years even after you were told what you were doing was illegal.” The judge indicated that Balun’s sentence would have been longer if not for his health conditions.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said, “Acting as a ‘fence’ for stolen goods helps organized retail theft flourish, and that harms our community in multiple ways.” Floyd outlined several impacts: violence against employees during thefts; store closures resulting in job losses; increased prices due to theft losses; and lost tax revenue estimated at $600 million by Washington state due to organized retail theft in 2021 alone.
Records show Balun co-owned the business since 2018 and trained Bobak on its operations. The business primarily bought over-the-counter medications and health products from individuals who stole them—often still bearing anti-theft devices or retailer-specific stickers—and resold them online through stores named “Medikus” (Amazon) and “abcstore555” (eBay). Proceeds traced back to their bank accounts funded payments to those stealing goods (“boosters”), employee payrolls handling sales logistics, personal expenses, and property purchases such as a home in Las Vegas.
When authorities executed a warrant in December 2023, they found more than 74,000 items worth about $2.4 million awaiting sale or shipment at their location—in addition to $4.5 million already sold between 2021 and mid-2023. Prosecutors wrote that Balun acted with impunity despite being warned by law enforcement as early as 2019 about selling stolen merchandise online: “Rather than cleaning up his act, Balun trained Bobak to join him in the scheme.”
As part of his plea agreement, Balun agreed to forfeit $1 million; Bobak was previously sentenced this year to eleven months imprisonment. The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), local police departments including Renton and Seattle Police Departments, as well as the IRS—with support from various retailers’ investigators.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean H. Waite along with Asset Forfeiture Assistant United States Attorney Krista Bush.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington handles federal prosecutions—including cases like this one—and civil litigation across Western Washington areas such as Seattle and Tacoma through offices located there; it includes about 85 attorneys plus support staff members within its structure under the Department of Justice umbrella, according to the official website.