RENO, Nev. - Two men from the Reno area face federal charges for selling more than 4,500 stolen items online to buyers nationwide and in foreign countries, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Ismael Nevarez Jr. for IRS Criminal Investigation.
Gennaro Paolo Canta, 42, and Jess Legarza, 37, were indicted on one count of conspiracy and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. In addition, Canta is charged with one count of monetary transactions in criminally derived property. Canta and Legarza made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge William G. Cobb, who scheduled a jury trial to begin on June 21, 2021.
According to allegations in the indictment, from about June to August 2016, Canta and Legarza regularly purchased merchandise they knew had been stolen from retail stores, and then resold them online in nearly all 50 states and foreign countries. Canta received payments from the buyers and used the proceeds to buy more stolen items. In total, Canta and Legarza allegedly sold more than 4,500 stolen items online.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalties are five years in prison for conspiracy and 10 years for interstate transportation of stolen property and conducting monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the IRS CI and the Reno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel R. Schiess and Richard B. Casper are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
