Crime really didn’t pay for a former Langley Best Buy warehouse employee who was caught stealing the company’s electronics and selling them on Craig’s List last year.
In a recent decision by the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office, $13,000 of the 23-year-old’s cash profits from his scam were seized.
The cash was discovered in a search of Wei-Chun Eric Wang’s Port Coquitlam apartment last year.
The money was located along with $23,000 worth of iPads, iPhones and computers taken from Best Buy. All the stolen property was returned to Best Buy.
Wang was charged with theft under $5,000, pleaded guilty and received a conditional discharge on June 13.
It was in November 2013, Langley RCMP were called to investigate an internal theft at Best Buy.
Investigators found the suspect and determined the products were being sold on Craig’s List. The investigation led to a search warrant for Wang’s residence.
Langley RCMP Const. Mike Schnerch, who is Langley’s Asset Forfeiture co-ordinator along with Anders Galasso of the Street Enforcement Unit, reviewed the file and referred it for consideration of civil forfeiture.
In late July, Langley RCMP was informed proceedings have concluded and the cash ordered forfeited.
The B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office is entirely self-funding and relies on revenues from successful forfeiture. These monies are used in part to fund crime prevention efforts by police and community groups across B.C. Since the program began, it has returned approximately $15 million from successful forfeiture actions to crime prevention and victims programs in B.C, including programs in the Langley area.
