Federal jury convicts Little Falls man for mail fraud
A federal trial jury in Minneapolis convicted a 34-year-old Little Falls man Tuesday of selling via the Internet items he stole from the sporting goods store where he worked - Reed's Family Outdoor Outfitters in Walker.
David Earl Gregoire was found guilty of five counts of mail fraud in connection to his crime. He was indicted on Sept. 23.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Gregoire took approximately $265,339 worth of merchandise from Reed's. Gregoire, a clerk at Reed's from 1995 to1998, began working for the store again on a contract basis in 2000. Then, from August 2005 to June 2008, he stole merchandise from the business while supposedly transferring it from the warehouse to the retail stores. Gregoire subsequently sold the stolen items through an Internet auction site, often for below wholesale costs. On five occasions, he delivered the stolen merchandise to Internet buyers through the U.S. Mail.
Gregoire faces a potential maximum penalty of 100 years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery will determine his sentence at a future date.
This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Morrison County Sheriff's Office, Little Falls Police Department, Cass County Sheriff's Office and Bemidji Police Department.
