Man sentenced to 3 years in prison for conspiring to traffic in stolen goods worth more than $1M
NEW JERSEY – A New York, man who conspired with others to traffic in stolen goods and merchandise was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Razel Romhein, 49, of Staten Island previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to transport stolen goods. Judge McNulty imposed the sentence Thursday in Newark federal court, Sellinger said.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from 2011 through May 2013, Romhein and others engaged in a conspiracy to traffic in stolen health and beauty aid products and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. These products were stolen by “boosters” from various places, including retail stores located in New Jersey, and then sold through a series of distributors at a significantly discounted price.
Romhein operated a warehouse facility in Staten Island, New York that functioned as a “cleaning station” for the stolen products. He arranged for the delivery of stolen merchandise and he and others removed security packaging and other labels from the products that identified the retail stores from which the products were stolen. The products, with an aggregate value of at least approximately $1 million, were then sold for a profit.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Romhein to three years of supervised release.
