The Brief
A Palos Heights man is accused of stealing and reselling freight merchandise worth about $250,000, police said.
Investigators traced stolen Sitka boots and other goods to 20-year-old Almahdi Qasem through online sales and undercover purchases.
Search warrants turned up large amounts of stolen property, and Qasem now faces felony theft charges with more counts expected.
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - A Palos Heights man is facing felony theft charges after police recovered an estimated $250,000 worth of stolen merchandise linked to freight thefts across the Chicago area.
What we know
Almahdi Qasem, 20, turned himself in on Friday and was charged with one count of theft over $1000,000 but less than $500,000. Additional charges are expected, according to Palos Heights police.
The investigation began when Sitka, a high-end hunting apparel company, reported the theft of roughly 100 pairs of boots worth $40,000 from Chicago.
Detectives later found online listings for identical boots on Facebook Marketplace and eBay, and they were able to trace Qasem's address to a home in Palos Heights
Investigators made several undercover purchases from Qasem, including Sitka boots, children’s Nike shoes, and Puma gym shoes, all of which were determined to have been stolen from freight trains.
On July 16, search warrants executed at his home and a Bridgeview storage unit uncovered the missing boots along with merchandise from Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bissell, Skytech Gaming and other retailers, police said. Investigators also seized vehicles, bank accounts, and cash connected to the operation.
What's next
The case remains under investigation with the assistance of the Cook County Sheriff’s Community Response Team. Qasem was cited and released pending a court appearance at the Bridgeview Courthouse.
The Source
The information in this report came from the Palos Heights Police Department.
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