[MSN] Ann Arbor book store owner charged in theft probe

[MSN]

Ann Arbor book store owner charged in theft probe
Posted by mholland February 20, 2008 21:53PM
Press News Service Photo/Robert ChaseDetective Sgts. Richard Kinsey and Jim
Stephenson carry books to a waiting police van:
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/02/ann_arbor_book_store_owner_cha.html

ANN ARBOR -- Prosecutors charged the owner of a long-time Ann Arbor
used-book store and three other individuals in a book-selling scheme that
involved hundreds of stolen textbooks from a nearby store.

Police said in court Tuesday that the owner of David's Books requested a
"shopping list" of books from the three other suspects, and they stole the
items for cash to feed a heroin habit.

Each of the accused thieves confessed to stealing an estimated $20,000 worth
of books over several months, Ann Arbor Detective Bill Stanford said.

On Tuesday morning, city police obtained an arrest warrant for Ed Koster,
owner of David's Books at 516 E. William St., near the University of
Michigan campus. He was charged with receiving and concealing stolen
property worth more than $20,000 and conspiracy.

Reached at the store Tuesday, Koster told The News he was unaware of the
criminal charges and remained open for business.

15th District Magistrate Michael Gatti also authorized warrants against
25-year-old Agnieszka Robakiewicz, 28-year-old Brian Schuon and 36-year-old
Daniel Jones for receiving and concealing stolen property, conspiracy and
first-degree retail fraud.

Police began investigating last summer when a manager from Ulrich's
Bookstore discovered nearly 300 medical textbooks missing during an audit.
The books were valued at more than $42,000.

The employee searched for the books on the Internet and found some for sale
on an Amazon.com account that investigators later linked to Koster, Stanford
said. The detective said he also purchased one of the stolen books over the
Internet with an undercover e-mail and traced it to Koster's store.

Ann Arbor police raided the bookstore on Nov. 29 and seized about 1,000
books during a six-hour search.

In sworn testimony Tuesday, Stanford said he traced 110 of the books to
Ulrich's, and several others came from other local bookstores.

Investigators viewed surveillance videos from Ulrich's and identified
Robakiewicz, Schuon and Jones stealing the medical books over several
months, Stanford said.

Robakiewicz was arrested on theft charges. Schuon, who is her boyfriend, and
Jones were arrested on unrelated warrants.

All three said the scam helped feed their heroin habits for about six
months, Stanford said.

"It was well-known among addicts that this is an easy way to make money,"
Stanford told the court.

The day after the raid, Koster told The News in a telephone interview that
he was cooperating with authorities and suspending his online accounts
because he didn't know which books were OK to sell.

"I've got to scale back because I don't know how to identify a legitimate
seller and one who isn't," he said then.

But Stanford said Koster told a different story during questioning with his
attorney.
Koster, he told the court, admitted he bought books from the trio for about
$20 each and said it was a long-standing practice at his store. Many of the
stolen books were marked with Ulrich's stickers.

"He admitted to giving basically a 'shopping list' of books to get,"
Stanford said. "It's how he kept his business afloat."

Koster, an Ann Arbor resident, faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a
$25,000 fine if convicted. The others face the same potential sentences,
along with a possible five-year prison sentence and/or $10,000 fine for the
retail fraud charges.

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