Busting comic thieves! Share your story.

[whetteon]

Just looking for good, wholesome stories about thieves getting busted with collections they stole and/or tried to sell. Hopefully all the stories have a happy ending.

[seank]

Back in the 1980s while in college I worked at a comic store in LA. We were approached by a guy to buy a stolen collection. The owner arranged to have the collection brought in so he could look it over with a "partner." The "partner" was really a plainclothes policeman. The seller left the building in handcuffs.

 

Also:

 

One day I notice some kids acting strangely around the baseball card display, actually catching one trying to reach around and open it up. I stopped him and mentioned it to the owners. We then pretended to ignore the kids while having someone watch from the back room. Sure enough, the same kid tried to steal a very expensive (for the time) baseball card. We called the police. Suddenly these cocky kids were all tears. The cops were telling them stories about what would happen to them in jail, scaring the out of them.

 

Little bastards.

[Foolkiller]

I bet Al Stoltz and Jeff Weaver have good ones. They seem to routinely bust thieves at cons.

[MutantKeys]

Who is Jeff Weaver?

[Transplant]

Who is Jeff Weaver?

Former pitcher for the StL Cardinals, silly. You might remember him from last year's playoffs.

[Foolkiller]

owner of Mad Cow Comics -- found part of the Lost Valley Collection with Al.

[Stronguy]

Some kids hid in the restroom of an older LCS and waited around until the owner left. They proceeded to make piles of books by the back door preparing to make their escape when, to their surprise they couldn't open the doors. The front door was locked, the back door was locked and barred and all of the window were covered with bars. The kids got so scared that they called 911 and told the cops they had been locked in by accident. Of course when the cops got there with the owener the kids were huddled in a corner crying. The funny thing is they tried to stick to their story about being acciendtally locked in even though they stil had about 1000 books stacked up at the back door.

 

 

[aardvark88]

A kid lifted Batman 366 (Jason Todd) nm from my comicon table when that book was hot per CVM price guide. As I was walking around the con, the other dealers were asking how I was doing, so I told him someone stole that book of my table. 20 mins later, the kid tried to sell my book to that same dealer. Said dealer yelled across the comicon for me, so I ran over there and grabbed the kid.

 

Brought him to the con promoter who said, "Do u want me to call the cops to press charges." No, just call his parents to pick him up from the hotel. The kid started crying & wetting his pants. Yes, I got my book back.

[binarysunrise]

The kid started crying & wetting his pants. Yes, I got my book back.

 

That's one reason to make sure your comics are bagged....

[superman20]

A kid lifted Batman 366 (Jason Todd) nm from my comicon table when that book was hot per CVM price guide. As I was walking around the con, the other dealers were asking how I was doing, so I told him someone stole that book of my table. 20 mins later, the kid tried to sell my book to that same dealer. Said dealer yelled across the comicon for me, so I ran over there and grabbed the kid.

 

Brought him to the con promoter who said, "Do u want me to call the cops to press charges." No, just call his parents to pick him up from the hotel. The kid started crying & wetting his pants. Yes, I got my book back.

funny story

[silverage12c]

Not my story, but one I found a while back. I'm sure that an IRS agent got VERY little sympathy in the public eye, especially in Vegas

 

Linky: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Oct-25-Tue-2005/news/3989985.html

 

Oct. 25, 2005

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

 

Owner of comics store accuses IRS agent anew

 

By GLENN PUIT

REVIEW-JOURNAL

 

An Internal Revenue Service agent accused of stealing comic books from a Las Vegas store was previously suspected of swiping other books from the store without paying, the store's owner testified in court Monday.

 

"I'd been watching him for months, actually," said Steven Riddle, owner of Velvet Underground Comics, 4241 W. Charleston Blvd.

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"I knew he had been hiding comic books (and) taking them out of the store," Riddle said.

 

Riddle made the allegations Monday during a contentious preliminary hearing for IRS agent Bert Lott in Las Vegas Justice Court. Authorities arrested Lott on a burglary count after they said he took 14 comic books from Riddle's store near Arville Street without paying in July.

 

(edited for brevity . . .)

 

. . . Riddle said Lott was a regular at the store, at times coming in three times a week. Riddle said he repeatedly watched Lott take comics and place them in sections of the store where they were not supposed to be, then wait for store employees to get busy before leaving. Riddle said he eventually became suspicious Lott was taking comics without paying for them. He claimed to have witnessed such a scenario on at least two occasions, but said he did not call police in those instances because he wanted to have another witness to the incident.

 

On July 8, Riddle said, he saw Lott come into the store and advised employees to "watch him."

 

"I told them not to take their eyes off Bert," Riddle said. "Watch him the entire time."

 

Riddle said Lott purchased less than $10 of comics, then said he wanted to do some more shopping.

 

"Most people, after they purchase something, they leave," Riddle said.

 

But Riddle said Lott set down his bag containing his purchased comics, then milled about the store, taking books from one location of the store and putting them in another.

 

Riddle said Lott was eventually stopped by a store clerk and comics that weren't paid for were found in his bag.

 

"He just tried to make a quick exit," Riddle said.

 

Terry then questioned Lott on whether he ever actually saw Lott put the comics in the bag, whether Riddle adequately documents sales at his business for tax purposes, and whether Lott ever actually left the premises.

 

According to a Las Vegas police report, the comics were worth about $43. The titles included "Vampirella," "Witchblade" and "Avengers." Lott told police he was on duty at the time of the arrest, and police reports state that officers confiscated his service gun.

[Fazybones]

I have a comic book story about a thief getting paid back and then

some for ripping off about 20 e-bay buyers. It's sort of a long story.

 

I had been collecting for only about six months exclusively buying

mid-grade books off e-bay and decided to buy a nicer grade book

and I loved it. I was so naive back then and knew very little about

grading or proper scans and a seller from Comox on Vancouver

Island with perfect feedback was selling his comic collection. The

three books I bought were listed as 3 VF/NM TOS 78, 82 + 86 that

I won for just over 35.00. He sold about 20 lots of books and all the

photos were just far enough away to not be able to spot any flaws.

 

My books arrived with small chunks missing off the covers and loose

pages, stains and several creases. He wouldn't return any of my

e-mails and just hung up on me and the NEGS started rolling in

from other buyers and some of them bought whole runs of SS

described as NM and a few other titles. The buyer that bought his

other TOS run was even missing three books that this lowlife sold

to me.

 

At our work at the time we despatched Longshoremen up to

Vancouver Island to work on different lumber off loading facilities.

My Husband is a longshoreman and I made arrangements for him

and his five man gang or crew to work a ship on the Island for five days.

After work and after the bar these filthy liquored up Longshoremen

needed some entertainment and had an address to look up. They

found this weasel and laid a beating on him and even recovered a

portion of the funds for a buyer in California I had been in touch with

who paid 365.00 for 23 NM TOS books. He only received 20 books

and they were in worse shape than mine.

 

I sometimes feel guilty about it and other times I'm proud to have

taught one puke a lesson about proper e-bay etiquette.

 

Did I do a terrible thing or hand out some street justice for the comic

book collectors of the world.

fay

[adamstrange]

They found this weasel and laid a beating on him

 

Remind me to never make you mad. I bruise easily.

[Paratrooper]

Fay, That was awesome! You are #1 in my book.

[Anfield Fox]

I have a comic book story about a thief getting paid back and then

some for ripping off about 20 e-bay buyers. It's sort of a long story.

 

I had been collecting for only about six months exclusively buying

mid-grade books off e-bay and decided to buy a nicer grade book

and I loved it. I was so naive back then and knew very little about

grading or proper scans and a seller from Comox on Vancouver

Island with perfect feedback was selling his comic collection. The

three books I bought were listed as 3 VF/NM TOS 78, 82 + 86 that

I won for just over 35.00. He sold about 20 lots of books and all the

photos were just far enough away to not be able to spot any flaws.

 

My books arrived with small chunks missing off the covers and loose

pages, stains and several creases. He wouldn't return any of my

e-mails and just hung up on me and the NEGS started rolling in

from other buyers and some of them bought whole runs of SS

described as NM and a few other titles. The buyer that bought his

other TOS run was even missing three books that this lowlife sold

to me.

 

At our work at the time we despatched Longshoremen up to

Vancouver Island to work on different lumber off loading facilities.

My Husband is a longshoreman and I made arrangements for him

and his five man gang or crew to work a ship on the Island for five days.

After work and after the bar these filthy liquored up Longshoremen

needed some entertainment and had an address to look up. They

found this weasel and laid a beating on him and even recovered a

portion of the funds for a buyer in California I had been in touch with

who paid 365.00 for 23 NM TOS books. He only received 20 books

and they were in worse shape than mine.

 

I sometimes feel guilty about it and other times I'm proud to have

taught one puke a lesson about proper e-bay etiquette.

 

Did I do a terrible thing or hand out some street justice for the comic

book collectors of the world.

fay

 

 

That was you!

[Fazybones]

Fay, That was awesome! You are #1 in my book.

 

Thanks Troop,

 

I thought you would like that story.

[TheWatcher]

Guess he'll think twice before doing something like that again

[CAP Freak]

I have a comic book story about a thief getting paid back and then

some for ripping off about 20 e-bay buyers. It's sort of a long story.

 

I had been collecting for only about six months exclusively buying

mid-grade books off e-bay and decided to buy a nicer grade book

and I loved it. I was so naive back then and knew very little about

grading or proper scans and a seller from Comox on Vancouver

Island with perfect feedback was selling his comic collection. The

three books I bought were listed as 3 VF/NM TOS 78, 82 + 86 that

I won for just over 35.00. He sold about 20 lots of books and all the

photos were just far enough away to not be able to spot any flaws.

 

My books arrived with small chunks missing off the covers and loose

pages, stains and several creases. He wouldn't return any of my

e-mails and just hung up on me and the NEGS started rolling in

from other buyers and some of them bought whole runs of SS

described as NM and a few other titles. The buyer that bought his

other TOS run was even missing three books that this lowlife sold

to me.

 

At our work at the time we despatched Longshoremen up to

Vancouver Island to work on different lumber off loading facilities.

My Husband is a longshoreman and I made arrangements for him

and his five man gang or crew to work a ship on the Island for five days.

After work and after the bar these filthy liquored up Longshoremen

needed some entertainment and had an address to look up. They

found this weasel and laid a beating on him and even recovered a

portion of the funds for a buyer in California I had been in touch with

who paid 365.00 for 23 NM TOS books. He only received 20 books

and they were in worse shape than mine.

 

I sometimes feel guilty about it and other times I'm proud to have

taught one puke a lesson about proper e-bay etiquette.

 

Did I do a terrible thing or hand out some street justice for the comic

book collectors of the world.

fay

Definitely the latter. You got bust out a can of whoopazz and hand out some street justice for the comic

book collectors of the world.

[Transplant]

May I just be the voice of reason and say, "WTF?" You had a group of guys whip some scammer's who know how badly? And for $35 worth of books on your end? That is pretty crappy IMO. What would you do if it had been the $365 the other person lost? Have him whacked? Oh I know. It's all different because it was a girl who got scammed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disgusting.

[ShoNuff-migration]

May I just be the voice of reason and say, "WTF?" You had a group of guys whip some scammer's who know how badly? And for $35 worth of books on your end? That is pretty crappy IMO. What would you do if it had been the $365 the other person lost? Have him whacked? Oh I know. It's all different because it was a girl who got scammed.

 

 

Disgusting.