Theft and conspiracy ring is broken

YOUNGSTOWN — Following a one-year investigation of an alleged major theft and conspiracy ring, the Mahoning County grand jury charged 15 people in a 68-count indictment Thursday.

Almost $400,000 in stolen property has been recovered and is in a warehouse awaiting return to its rightful owners, said Kasey Shidel, assistant county prosecutor.

The defendants allegedly broke into businesses while they were closed, and into parked tractor-trailers, sometimes stealing trucks and trailers. In many cases, they’d cut the locks on gates to fenced-in areas and steal items businesses stored outdoors, said county Prosecutor Paul J. Gains.

“These individuals would steal anything that was not nailed down,” Gains said. Items stolen included horse trailers, motorcycles, jet skis, lawnmowers, and large tractor mowers, he added.

“The operation was: Steal the item; get it into a third party’s hands, and have that third party sell it to either a knowing victim or an unknowing victim for resale,” Shidel said. “Money was exchanged very quickly and it crossed jurisdictional lines.”

Charges in the indictment included breaking and entering, theft, receiving stolen property, complicity to breaking and entering, illegal use of food stamps, insurance fraud, obstructing justice and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (RICO). RICO stands for racketeer influenced and corrupt organization.

Gains said the ringleaders were Bobby Joe Mock, 39, of Mahoning County jail, who is charged with breaking and entering, thefts, receiving stolen property and RICO; Brian Bleggi, 41, of Black Oak Lane, breaking and entering, thefts, receiving stolen property and RICO; and Timothy Marino, 41, of Ridge Road, Cortland; receiving stolen property and RICO.

Read more in Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com