MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Gene Sauer, 49, Cambria, Wisconsin, was sentenced on November 29 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 42 months in federal prison for interstate trafficking of stolen property. Sauer pleaded guilty to the offense on Sept. 18, 2018.
Sauer was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals to begin serving his sentence immediately following the sentencing. The final amount of restitution owed to victims will be determined at a hearing on Feb. 15, 2018.
Over a two-year period, Sauer stole eight skid steer loaders from construction sites in Wisconsin, and transported them to an implement dealer in Illinois, where they were later resold. Sauer took the skid steer loaders to Illinois so they would be more difficult for law enforcement to find. Sauer has four previous felony theft-related convictions.
Sauer’s co-defendant in three of the thefts, Daniel Grupe, 26, pleaded guilty to interstate trafficking of stolen property on Sept. 19, 2018. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2018.
The charges against Gene Sauer and Daniel Grupe were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, DeForest and Sun Prairie Police Departments, Columbia and Green Lake County Sheriffs’ Offices, and the Illinois State Police. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith P. Duchemin.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
