Oakland shop owner charged in theft ring

A Wilkins man was charged Tuesday with using drug addicts to operate a $2 million theft ring from his record store in Oakland.

Following a seven-year investigation, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office charged fifty-year-old Anthony J. Cicero, owner of The Slipped Disc on Atwood Street in Oakland, with theft, receiving stolen property and operating a corrupt organization.

According to a grand jury presentment, Cicero paid drug addicts to steal retail store items, such as books and LEGO sets, that he resold on Amazon or Ebay. Cicero stored the stolen goods in a back room in his shop near Pitt’s campus.

“This defendant not only cost retail stores millions in lost inventory, but he also enabled and fed the drug addictions of multiple individuals,” Pennsylvania attorney general Kathleen Kane said in a statement on Aug. 26. “This was a case where the defendant exploited others at every turn.”

The Attorney General’s organized crime section launched the investigation into Cicero after Glenn Justus, a senior corporate investigator for Barnes and Noble, identified several individuals who sold stolen merchandise to Cicero.

According to investigators, Cicero’s operation amassed more than $2 million since May 2013 and targeted Pittsburgh stores including Rite Aid, CVS, Giant Eagle Market District, Staples and Wal-Mart.

Cicero directed “boosters” to target specific items including medical books, computer books, graphic novels, hardcover books and LEGO products, according to the attorney general’s investigation.

Investigators issued a search warrant to The Slipped Disc and recovered approximately 1,500 suspected stolen items worth more than $44,000, including items that investigators specially marked and sold to Cicero during undercover transactions.

Cicero was arraigned and bail was set at $50,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14.

Cicero’s defense attorney, who court records listed as Charles Potter Jr., could not be reached for comment. A sign on The Slipped Disc storefront Thursday said, “Closed early today, daughter off to Pitt Johnstown. Back tomorrow.”