Jewelry store owner pleads guilty to selling stolen goods
A Las Vegas jewelry store owner pleaded guilty Monday to selling $196,500 in stolen goods, including Rolex and Tag Heuer watches, Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden announced.
Nabil Sakkab, 39, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to two counts of receipt and sale of stolen goods.
Sakkab faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count at his Oct. 28 sentencing.
The crimes were committed between September 2011 and February 2012, according to prosecutors.
Bogden said a December 2012 report prepared for Congress showed organized retail crime exposes the United States to “economic, public health, and domestic security dangers.”
“Estimates of the losses to retailers range from $15 billion to $37 billion annually,” Bogden said. “Additionally, consumers end up paying for the losses in the form of higher prices on goods, and states lose the tax revenue that would otherwise be generated from the sale of these goods by legitimate retailers.”
The criminal case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and was part of a federal and local law enforcement effort to combat organized retail theft.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.
