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FBI.gov
During a seven-month stretch of shoplifting, John Patrick Weismiller earned $43,200, which represented more than $73,000 in retail losses, the FBI says.
John Patrick Weismiller will have a hard time putting his sticky fingers to use at his next destination – behind bars.
The 41-year-old Woodburn, Ore., man, described by prosecutors as a “professional shoplifter” who stole from Safeway stores in Oregon and Washington more than a hundred times, has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.
Authorities said Weismiller shoplifted everything from Crest teeth-whitening strips to Oil of Olay creams at stores such as Safeway, Target and Best Buy – usually by stuffing the products under his clothing – and then sold the items on eBay at half price under the handle “myotherjob2001.”
Authorities say he pocketed $43,200 off shoplifted goods between January and July 2011. That translated into more than $73,000 in losses to the stores.
“This guy was incredibly brazen,” FBI Special Agent Joe Boyer in Portland said in a statement Tuesday. “He was making his living doing this. This was his full-time job. He lived in a nice house in the suburbs with his wife and kids. If you lived next door, you would have no idea he was a thief.”
Weismiller pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen goods and was sentenced last month by U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman in Portland, Ore., according to The Oregonian. After his prison sentence he must serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution of nearly $21,000.
Safeway’s loss-prevention team documented Weismiller stealing merchandise from its stores 105 times in early 2011, according to the FBI.
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Boyer said most professional shoplifters, also known as “boosters,” have little fear of going to jail because their crimes are nonviolent. They are usually slapped with a fine and released.
“The fact that Weismiller is now in prison should send a message to other boosters who think they are flying under the legal radar: The FBI is serious about these crimes, and professional shoplifters will end up behind bars,” he said in a statement.
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How about the "professional IRS Tax scammers" ?
Yeah, let's see the IRS and DOJ take to federal court the 41 Obama White House staffers and some of their aides, along with HUNDREDS of elected Congressional Representatives and HUNDREDS of government workers who have failed to pay their BACK IRS TAXES.
Yep, put some of the above CROOKS in jail, publish their names in the media, and see how many pay their back IRS TAXES.
What is good for the "b(R)oosters" is good for the "chickens in the hen house".
I'd rather they cut a finger or two off him...would teach him a good lesson.
Stick the tax scammers in jail.
Damn, it sounds like Safeway needs to hire a new security outfit. According to the local paper, Walmart here busts several stickfingers every day.
James-546195-1049965 - Move to Saudi Arabia. When you grow up, you can be like this guy.
Steals over $70k dollars and gets a year? But the kid that sticks up a convenience store and walks away with a couple hundred get 20 years. He should get much more time.
MORE time is needed. and to the author what is the point of this????? To let thieve know they won't do time?
“boosters,” have little fear of going to jail because their crimes are nonviolent. They are usually slapped with a fine and released.
Devil's Son? I would take it that when you say "sticks up" you mean there was a gun involved.
Something sort of changes in the dynamic of 'a thing' when there is a gun involved.
It's too bad our government isn't as serious about shop lifting our ID's across the border with Mexico!
Hey, Oregon Authorities ----- So, this is a PROFESSIONAL SHOPLIFTER ? Great. Taxpayers (as well as shoppers) are supporting this type of crumb? Then give him not a one year (plus a day) behind bars. For once, I agree with SHARIA LAW --- CUT OFF HIS RIGHT HAND. Deny him any unemployment and/or welfare benefits and let him stand on a corner in any Oregon town and hold up a cardboard sign (with the one hand). Our laws are currently WAY TOO LENIENT on lawbreakers. Penalties simply have to be so severe that most would be wrong doers will reconsider once they weigh the risk/reward.
An all expense paid year in prison, plus the value of what he stole and sold! Who says crime does not pay!
He gets a year, probably 6 or 8 months with good behavior. Pays restitution of 21,000. He got over 40,000 from the theft of 73,000. Yeah, that'll show them!
Yeah, he only has to pay half back of what he stole. And now he gets clothes, food, shelter, ect... on the taxpayer. Great punishment for this guy. (sarcasm)
It doesn't help the retailer, but the individual now has a more serious criminal record than he did previously. So he made a profit of ~$20,000, but when looking for work, he's going to lose out on around that much (probably more) per year with the new circumstances.
This is of course assuming that he goes for a legitimate job when he gets out...
Being a retired corrections officer, I can tell you right now he will continue his life of crime immediately upon release.
He has a criminal record now that will stop him from getting legitimate work, so.... family got to eat! He will be back at it the first month he is out.
Don't know what his next adventure will be, but rest assured there will be victims.
Damned inner city, hoodie wearing thugs.
Oh, wait.
The mistake this guy made was that he crossed state lines which brought the feds into it. If he had stayed in one state he would have only been dealing with the local police and probably would have gotten off with a fine and probation. The locals just do not take these crimes very seriously and that is why it is so pervasive. The problem is everyone who shops in these stores is paying for this because the stores raise their prices to make up for the amount they lose through theft. Local law enforcement needs to start taking this more seriously to put a stop to these criminals who are costing everyone money.
JS in SD,
The crime would still have become a Federal offense as soon as he sold anything on eBay that was transported over State lines.
"Damned inner city, hoodie wearing thugs.
Oh, wait."
He wasn't a thug, he was a thief. A thug would attack an old lady outside the store, steal her goods, and then jump into a hooptie, driven by another thug doing the "gangsta'-lean", for a get-away. And, more than likely, both WOULD wear a hoodie.
At least, keep up with terminology.
Still a thug. He's stealing from your pocket and mine. You have your terms, I'll have mine.
If you want to post, use correct terms that reflect the subject. You were making an implication that shoplifters were akin to the "hoodie" culture---and you failed.
Spike..... a crime is a crime. I wear a hooded sweat shirt, but do not shoplift.
The article says he "earned" over $43,000.00. He didn't EARN anything, he STOLE it. What school of journalism did the author graduate from, Mail order or Internet?
Surely he isn't Johnny Weismillers' progeny?
Nope! That was Weissmuller
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919321/
Safeway WATCHED him shoplift 105 times?!?!? Dang--I'd hire a new security team....
I cannot understand why Safeway security didnt arrest him long ago. Why wait for him to hit your stores 105 times. This doesnt make sense.... or am I missing something.
If he made it 110 times, they'd get free generic mac n cheese
A lot of stores now forbid any of their employees intervening in shoplifting cases. In fact, over the last couple of years there have been stories where store employees have apprehended shoplifters only to be fired for doing so.
It's no wonder this guy was so brazen, the stores won't do anything to stop him these days. It's easier just to pass on the losses to the public. I suspect this will stop in a few years when the losses just get too high to deal with. Kind of like insurance fraud did several years ago.
The article didn't say watched, it said documented. It's possible he stole things before they could reach him, because it's not as easy as you think. All he would have to do is come in, steal 1-2 items, then shuttle right out of the store. If they're anything like where I work, they don't have enough people to watch everyone. I don't live near any Safeway stores so I don't know if they have greeters or not, but if they did the greeters should know his face if he's gotten caught and could warn the loss prevention team ahead of time. You'd be surprised how much stealing goes on and how much of it is successful. It's really sad too, considering when I was hired in years ago my store had 3-5 loss prevention people on shift at a time. Now, we're lucky if we have a single one during the day. Once they walk out of the store, there's little anyone can do unless you can grab a license plate number.
I doubt that they "watched" him 105 times. Once he was apprehended they probably reviewed past security footage and matched him up to the earlier crimes that way.
Most retail LP are not allowed to touch you and even detain you without an officer around. They can ask you to stop but cannot legally stop with any force.
The policies of most companies is to not even follow the person outside of the store, not that most of the people listen. That is why they try to follow you around and make their presence known and basically that you are being watched.
He wouldn't have gotten away with this if I was working there!
If you had done anything, you would have been fired.
Walmart and 7-11 also have similar policies.
The idea is that the companies don't want to endanger the other customers and be left open to lawsuits.
Anyone else notice his unusually white smile and youthful complexion?
Yer kidding me...a year for shoplifting? in prison?
Not jail? not community service? Maybe it was the ammount involved...but if Safeway knew it, why didnt they stop him sooner? It sounds like Safeway knew what he was doing...
Not shoplifting, that is not a federal crime, but transporting stolen goods across state lines is a federal crime.
Just re-read the article John, yep..yer correct...thanks for doing so.
People do not realize that this is a very common occurrence.
One of the reasons prices are so high is because of people like this.
I HATE THIEVES !!!!
Sadly if he didnt use ebay to transport stolen goods across state lines, a federal crime, he would only have been prosecuted at the state level and probably would have gotten the slap on the wrist with a fine and some probation. Otherwise the FBI doesnt give a care about shoplifting, only interstate crimes.
Moral of the story: Use Craigslist next time.
Sadly? Do you feel sad for him? He's a thief who deserves even more than what he got.
Sad as in how the state turns a blind eye to crimes like this. Upholding the law only if its convenient and cost effective. That is what is sad.
Why was it left to the FBI? Where were the police? Oh thats right..they were acting as "income Generators" and pulling citizens over for bullsh*t tickets to raise money. I guess "REAL" criminals dont matter to the justice system cause they dont make any money! Thanks for nothing pigs!
It was a federal crime just like any interstate crime is he was selling on Ebay.
Still neither matters nor makes sense. If the guy shoplifted at 50 stores in Wash AND Oregon...where were the PIGS? I'll tell you...the "alleged" crime was NOT an moneymaker for whatever municipality the store was in, therefore NO INTEREST in a real crime. Lets get those DRIVERS! they have CASH!!
I watched a woman with her two young children shoplift in a local supermarket. What brought her to my attention was that her kids took a couple of donuts off the rack and just proceeded to to eat them with her saying nothing to them. As I watched her move around the store, she placed items in pockets in her long coat. I checked out in the line next to her and she didn't pay for the items. As she left the store two police officers were waiting for her. She broke down in tears but her kids just took it in stride. She was taken back into the store and later questioning of the store owner told me that she was a known shoplifter and was spotted shortly after entering the store. Seems she had been detained before and was banned from the store. I was just a casual witness.
Years ago, the owners Mother (also the owner at that time) checked me out, I paid her and went home. The whole time I was holding a carton of cigarettes in my hand and even placed it back in the cart while paying her. I got home and I wondered if she had charged me for the carton. NO! Checking the receipt. I went back to the store and explained that I hadn't paid for the cigarettes. The owner said she didn't even notice the carton when I checked out because I was a long time customer and she enjoyed talking to me. I paid her for the cigarettes and vowed thereafter to put everything on the checkout from that time after. She thanked me for my honesty and even gave me a sucker. Joke!
He stole $75,000 in merchadise, made $46,000 and has to pay back $21,000 and 3-4 months in jail after good behavior. What's wrong with this picture?
Now, now, he was just "redistributing the wealth". Those evil 1% own stock in the grocery store, they deserve to lose their money because they only pay 75% of taxes paid in the US. "Fair share" and all that stuff.
The problem isn't lone shoplifters, it's the pack.
I've seen the packs at work. If only they would put as much thought into honest work as they do in planning and executing their crimes.
Their security must have been terrible. Im an American living in G.B at the moment working in security for a large retail firm, talk about thieves! Their isn't nothing that I havn't seen, and I have seen the best of them. You wouldn't believe it. Not only from the english thieves, but the polish and romanians. This guy wouldn't have lasted a day with me on the cameras.
But how much is your merchandise worth?
This is Safeway not Tiffany's.
But that's jobs were talking about here. Each store could have at least a SWAT team guarding that toothpaste and the cookies. The back room $8,000,000 security bunker would pay for itself in no time. Think about it. Make it happen!
Hey Safeway,you want a top notch cctv guy, show me the money!
Obama's fault.
This event calls for a neighborhood self proclaimed security watchman. Nah! Doesn't fit the stereotype so let him go free.
See kids! No Hoodie = No second looks!
Modern day john dillenger; only problem is toothpaste is not insured by FDIC.
WTF..... Why is the FBI wasting their time on shoplifting . Safeway and local law enforcement can handle it . The FBI should be after real Federal criminals . Whats next for the FBI , jay walking ???????????
You think every single agent is trained in some cookie cutter?
Could be that an entry level agent is on the jay walking conspiracy going on in this country.
Learn the truth!
jaywalkingconspiarcy.com
Billions do it everyday. Not just in the U.S.A. Across the entire planet this sort of lawlessness occurs. Sure it's starts off innocent enough. Simple little jog across the street knowing full well it's illegal. Then once knowing you got away scott free one begins to think what else they can get away with. Next thing you know you have a billion people throwing dynamite.
Yer kidding me...MOTU...yer actually comaparing jaywalking to thievery?
What are you going to tell me next? A little butterfly causes hurricanes???
Don't smudge the face of this lardass in the picture. You afraid he'll sue? ERR!!!
The really sad thing about this is who pays for it, the people who shop and pay for their things.