Stolen beer scheme, two Indians accused appeared in US court

By PTI

NEW YORK: Three people including two Indian-Americans charged with buying and selling stolen beer worth USD 20,000 in the US state of Ohio appeared in court on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

Ketankumar Patel and Piyushkumar Patel, operators of two local convenience stores in Youngstown, Ohio were indicted by the Mahoning County Grand Jury on charges of allegedly accepting the stolen beer, news portal WFMJ reported on Wednesday.

According to the prosecutors, 37-year-old Ronald Pezzuolo employed by R L Lipton Distributors stole beer between August and October last year and sold it to them, the report said.

When the operators of the distributor noticed the missing product, they contacted the police after which a surveillance operation was started to track the beer, it said.

The estimated value of the stolen beer is approximately USD 20,000, Assistant Prosecutor Mike Yacovon said.

While Pezzuolo faces a grand theft charge, Piyushkumar and Ketankumar face charges of receiving stolen property, news channel WKBN-TV reported.

The jury trials are set for May 1, it added.