Pittsburgh Man Sentenced For Transporting Stolen Goods From Pennsylvania To Texas

PITTSBURGH - A Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced in federal court to 24 months imprisonment, a $15,000 fine, and two years supervised release on his conviction of interstate transportation of stolen goods, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on David Michael Spaid, 56.

According to the information presented to the court, Spaid unlawfully transported, transmitted and transferred and caused to be transported, transmitted and transferred in interstate commerce goods that were stolen, with a value of $5,000 or more, knowing the same to have been taken by fraud.

On or about Oct. 14, 2011, two employees of the Allegheny Ludlum plant in Harrison Township, Kenneth Hill and Timothy Angely, stole four "super sacks" of nickel that had been shipped to Allegheny Ludlum from Russia via Baltimore, Md. The nickel weighed in excess of 17,000 lbs. and had a value of approximately $151,000. Hill and Angely transported the stolen nickel to a nearby open field where it was picked up by a driver working for David Michael Spaid at AAA Scrap Metal, located in Pittsburgh. Spaid negotiated the purchase of the stolen nickel from PJ Eberhardt, who worked in conjunction with Hill and Angely. Spaid would "front" Eberhardt with $30,000, and then pay an additional amount according to a prearranged formula for the value of the nickel after Spaid was able to sell the stolen nickel to a buyer. In this case, Spaid sold the nickel briquettes to ECS Refining in Terrell, Texas, and the nickel was shipped out by Spaid's company in western Pennsylvania to Texas at his direction on or around Oct. 21, 2011. Spaid indicated to the Pennsylvania State Police, who interviewed him, that this shipment of stolen nickel was the last of at least ninethat he received from Eberhardt.

Assistant United States Attorney James T. Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Spaid.