A Canadian visiting the US has been accused of using sleight of hand to steal over US$64,000 in cash from several US Walmart locations.
On August 16, Mohsen Akbari, 37, was indicted in the US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri, on one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a release. He was arrested on September 5 and, on Monday, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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According to the indictment, Akbari travelled from South Korea and arrived in the US on a visitor visa on March 1, 2023. It’s alleged that he then travelled across the country and “entered various retail stores and used sleight-of-hand to steal cash.”
“After making a small purchase, Akbari would claim that he and his family collect United States currency, typically $100 bills,” reads the release. “Akbari would ask the cashier to show him the bills in the cash register so he could examine them and then surreptitiously place some of the bills into his sleeve or pocket.”
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In less than three months, from March 23 to June 8, he allegedly stole over US$33,700 from 30 Walmarts in nine states across the US. The indictment says this crime spree continued until mid-July.
Authorities claim that Akbari would then deposit the cash in a US bank account and wire the funds to his account in Canada.
He faces a wire fraud charge, which carries a possible penalty of 20 years in prison, a US$250,000 fine, or both.
“The interstate transportation of stolen property charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine,” stated authorities.
Daily Hive has reached out to Walmart for comment.
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