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Here’s an update from the
Hillsboro (OR) Argus:
Lego thief pleads guilty Thursday
Friday, April 21, 2006
By Kurt Eckert
The Argus
The man who stole more than $6,000 in Lego sets from Target stores throughout
the Portland areas pleaded guilty to theft in Washington County Circuit Court
Thursday.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lesowski said William A. Swanberg, 40, of
Reno, Nev., made a profit auctioning Legos, stolen mostly from Target stores, on
two online auction sites - eBay and Bricklink.com. The latter is a site
specifically intended for Lego sale and trade.
Swanberg hit seven Target stores in the Portland area, including both Hillsboro
locations, before Beaverton Target loss-prevention specialists detained him Nov.
17, 2005.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was called, and a search warrant was
obtained to search Swanberg’s van, said WCSO Det. Troy Dolyniuk. Deputies
confiscated nearly $6,000 worth of Legos and a laptop computer used to plot
directions to several other Target stores. Corporate Target security specialists
estimate total losses at over $200,000. Target believes Swanberg also stole
Legos in Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California.
Lesowski says Swanberg has similar charges pending against him in Multnomah
County. After he faces those charges in a Portland court he will be sentenced to
a likely term of one year and one month in prison, May 18.
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Reno is reviewing the investigation of
the Reno postmaster’s charges of mail fraud, Lesowski said.
“We’re hoping to get word from federal prosecutors in a few weeks,” Lesowski
said. “The federal laws allow for much more time to be served than is available
for property crimes in Oregon.”
Swanberg acquired thousands of expensive Lego sets at a fraction of their true
price by pasting a forged UPC sticker from a less expensive set over the real
bar code. He would then add several more expensive sets of the same type to his
cart.
He got 20 expensive Millennium Falcon sets this way at the Hillsboro
Tanasbourne location, but the Sunset Esplanade store manager said he could only
buy two because it was the busy holiday season.
Swanberg counted on cashiers scanning only the forged item, then having them
multiply that price by 10 or 20, Lesowski said.
Swanberg’s exploits have earned him national recognition as “The Lego Bandit”
through the Internet and news services. One New Jersey professor now uses
Swanberg’s story as part of a business ethics course.
Records obtained from Bricklink.com indicate Swanberg sold nearly $600,000
worth of Legos since 2002. Operating under the name “Barter the Brick,” Swanberg
sold the stolen Legos at prices that were less than retail, but still a huge
profit for him. Barter the Brick was well-known to regular visitors to the site.
On the site, several users noted he was often demanding and rude.
Some of Swanberg’s buyers expressed concern over the possible seizure of Legos
from their collections as evidence. It is still being determined where the other
Legos came from.
Investigators seized so many Legos, computers and documents from Swanberg’s
Reno residence, they had to rent a 20-foot truck, Dolyniuk said.
The word Lego is an invention of the company’s Danish founder from the
combination of the two Danish words “leg godt,” which mean “play well.”
Marc Nelson Jr.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Bill Swanberg Update
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| (...) So they can use Ebay's preferred (silly) capitalization, but can't get BrickLink right? And BrickLink facilitates trades? (...) More of the accuracy we have come to expect from the media. Good grief; even his BrickLink feedback page can tell (...) (19 years ago, 24-Apr-06, to lugnet.mediawatch)
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