PITTSBURGH — A man from Canada was arrested Friday on accusations that he repeatedly stole packages containing precious metals.
According to a Pennsylvania State Police report, troopers were first notified of the package thefts on May 17. FedEx security in Robinson notified the agency that numerous packages containing precious metals, including silver and gold, were stolen.
Court documents obtained by Channel 11 say the packages were taken from a driver at the delivery location or from the FedEx shipping location where the parcel was being held. In either case, fake IDs were used to get the packages.
Investigators then set up a “bait package” that was a similar size and weight to the stolen packages to try and catch the thief. The bait was purported to be worth $75,000 in precious metal and was shipped to a location near the FedEx Shipping office and Robinson Township. The tracking information was known only to a few people within law enforcement and FedEx.
The court documents state officials were able to determine the package was being tracked in the Netherlands and Chicago.
On Friday, troopers say a man arrived at the FedEx office to pick up the package. The man, later identified as Matthew Francois, displayed tracking information and a false ID to obtain the package.
Francois was arrested and charged with theft of mail, theft, receiving stolen property, forgery and corrupt organizations.
Upon arrest, court documents say police located and searched Francois’ vehicle, finding five gold bars from another package.
When interviewed, Francois told police he was told to pick up the packages at the direction of another man.
The court documents go on to say that these types of crimes are organized and often involve multiple people throughout the country and possibly even in foreign nations. Investigators believe that to be the case, since the packages are being tracked by individuals with no connection to the recipient.
Investigators also point out that Francois is a Canadian national operating a rental vehicle from Ohio, giving him no connection to the area where the packages were stolen.
“It is apparent that Francois is colluding with other unknown conspirators at this time,” the document states.
Francois has since been released from jail on a nonmonetary bond.
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