not sure if this has been posted before but this guy needs to be in the most dedicated collectors thread!
Coin collector jailed for stealing from boss to fund odd sports card habit | Herald Sun
A RARE coin expert who stole more than half-a-million dollars worth of valuable coins and notes and sold them on eBay to fund an insatiable basketball card obsession has been sentenced to prison.
Marcus Loricchiella, 31, was yesterday sentenced in the County Court to serve 42 months' jail, with a 17-month minimum, for the stealing spree that spanned at least three years and saw him pocket more than $537,000 of valuable collector’s items.
He pleaded guilty to five charges of theft and one charge of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Loricchiella stole the items while he was employed as a rare coin expert at renowned dealer Downies Coins.
The court heard Lorichiella stole the valuable items and sold them on eBay then used the money to fund a bizarre obsession with Michael Jordan basketball cards, travel to New Zealand and Fiji and furnish his home.
He was employed by the company in 2004 but was sacked in July last year after a stocktake check uncovered the crimes.
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Judge David Parsons said Loricchiella made immediate admissions but believed he had only stolen about $250,000 worth of rare coins and notes.
The court heard Loricchiella had had a troubled upbringing and at the time of committing the offences was in an unstable relationship that had led to depression and anxiety.
"Your mental state impaired your ability to think," Judge Parsons said.
"(The) offending was ultimately an attempt to manage, in your own inappropriate way, your depression."
He said he was satisfied Loricchiella's chances of rehabilitation were "very good" while the likelihood of him reoffending were "modest".
"(The) very positive thing is everybody again seems to share the view that in the past 12 months you have turned things around in a very positive way."
Coin collector jailed for stealing from boss to fund odd sports card habit | Herald Sun
A RARE coin expert who stole more than half-a-million dollars worth of valuable coins and notes and sold them on eBay to fund an insatiable basketball card obsession has been sentenced to prison.
Marcus Loricchiella, 31, was yesterday sentenced in the County Court to serve 42 months' jail, with a 17-month minimum, for the stealing spree that spanned at least three years and saw him pocket more than $537,000 of valuable collector’s items.
He pleaded guilty to five charges of theft and one charge of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Loricchiella stole the items while he was employed as a rare coin expert at renowned dealer Downies Coins.
The court heard Lorichiella stole the valuable items and sold them on eBay then used the money to fund a bizarre obsession with Michael Jordan basketball cards, travel to New Zealand and Fiji and furnish his home.
He was employed by the company in 2004 but was sacked in July last year after a stocktake check uncovered the crimes.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Judge David Parsons said Loricchiella made immediate admissions but believed he had only stolen about $250,000 worth of rare coins and notes.
The court heard Loricchiella had had a troubled upbringing and at the time of committing the offences was in an unstable relationship that had led to depression and anxiety.
"Your mental state impaired your ability to think," Judge Parsons said.
"(The) offending was ultimately an attempt to manage, in your own inappropriate way, your depression."
He said he was satisfied Loricchiella's chances of rehabilitation were "very good" while the likelihood of him reoffending were "modest".
"(The) very positive thing is everybody again seems to share the view that in the past 12 months you have turned things around in a very positive way."
