ST. LOUIS (NewsFirst) – Mohsen Akbari, a Canadian national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Friday, confessing to employing sleight-of-hand and other deceptive tactics to pilfer over $109,000 from retailers across at least 11 states during a nearly six-month crime spree.
Acknowledging his guilt on charges of wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property, the 38-year-old Akbari disclosed that he entered the U.S. on March 1, 2023, from South Korea on a visitor visa. Subsequently, he traversed Missouri, Illinois, and a minimum of 11 other states, focusing on Walmart stores and various retailers. Following a modest purchase, Akbari manipulated store employees using various ruses to obtain cash. One method involved claiming he and his family collected $100 bills, convincing cashiers to display them for examination, and surreptitiously concealing some bills in his sleeve or pocket.
At a regional level, Akbari targeted a Walmart in St. Peters, Missouri, on June 12, 2023, stealing a total of $2,420. He also pilfered $6,900 from a Granite City, Illinois store on June 13, $420 from an O’Fallon, Missouri store on June 14, and $900 from a Warrenton, Missouri store on the same day. Additionally, he stole $580 from a Walmart in Eureka, Missouri, and $5,100 from an Arnold, Missouri Walmart on June 15.
Akbari was apprehended on Aug. 22, 2023, in Connecticut, with $5,388 in U.S. currency and 150 Australian dollars obtained from the scheme. In total, Akbari admitted to stealing $109,452. Authorities seized $69,864 from two of Akbari’s bank accounts, and he wired some money to Canada.
Scheduled for sentencing on March 1, 2024, Akbari faces potential penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both for the wire fraud charge. The interstate transportation of stolen property charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, along with the same fine.
The investigation into the case involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Eureka Police Department, and the Arnold Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, representing the Office of United States Attorney Eastern District of Missouri, is prosecuting the case.
