A suburban Chicago man was sentenced on May 8 to five years in federal prison for stealing more than $10 million worth of goods from interstate shipments, including liquor and commercial-grade copper.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat large-scale fraud involving the transportation industry. The thefts occurred between 2020 and 2023, when Aivaras Zigmantas used aliases to pose as a representative of both real and fictitious carriers and brokers. He then fraudulently convinced individuals and companies to release shipments, which were subsequently diverted from their intended destinations.
According to court records, Zigmantas and others intended to steal at least $14.6 million in goods but successfully stole more than $10.1 million. Zigmantas, age 41 of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to a federal wire fraud charge. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo imposed the sentence during a hearing held Wednesday in Chicago.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Chicago office; and Michael J. Pfeiffer, Acting Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"Over the course of three years, defendant stole more than $10 million in shipments of copper and liquor by fraudulently posing as employees of both legitimate and fictitious logistics companies," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate McClelland argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum."He had the ability to make different choices, but refused to do so, resulting in increasingly serious criminal conduct and substantial losses to his victims.”
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force initiative targeting those who evade or undermine federal customs laws. The Department recently selected the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office as a lead prosecutorial partner on this task force.
In April 2026, the Department also announced creation of its National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division), focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against Americans—a priority that supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
