Trucker who stole $27,000 in rat traps could spend decades in prison, IL officials say

An Illinois man stole a truckload of rat traps, and now he could go to prison for up to 30 years, authorities say.

Andrew A. Schwartz, 31, was working as a contract trucker for J.B. Hunt Transport Services when he picked up a load of rat traps worth $27,616 from an Elgin, Illinois, business in September 2017, Kane County prosecutors said Thursday in a Facebook post.

Schwartz was supposed to take the traps to Ohio. Instead, he’s accused of dropping the load off at an acquaintance’s house in nearby Wauconda, prosecutors said. He then reported back to J.B. Hunt that the rat traps had been delivered, prosecutors said.

On Tuesday, a judge found Schwartz guilty of felony theft and forgery, prosecutors said.

Kane County prosecutors say Schwartz could get probation or a prison sentence between six and 30 years. The sentencing guidelines are “enhanced” because Schwartz has a criminal history, prosecutors said.

This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Trucker who stole $27,000 in rat traps could spend decades in prison, IL officials say."