36 lines
1.7 KiB
Plaintext
36 lines
1.7 KiB
Plaintext
30 Arrests In Silicon Valley Computer Parts Sting 01/13/93
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 13 (NB) -- The
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computer and software industries are a high source of revenue
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for California. But they also afford a good income for the
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criminal elements. An undercover investigation into stolen computer
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parts by local and federal authorities and the FBI in Silicon Valley
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has resulted in 30 arrests, according to a published report.
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UPI reports the operation resulted in the recovery of more than $3.6
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million in cash and stolen property and was the result of a 4.5-month
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investigation called "Operation Gray Chip." A total of $2.1
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million was recovered in cash and another $1.55 million in
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stolen high-tech equipment, the report says.
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UPI quotes Santa Clara Police Sgt. Mark Kerby as saying: "The
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trade in stolen computer parts is one of the largest crime
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problems in the Silicon Valley. So I'd say we just scratched the
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surface. But hopefully the publicity this case will receive
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will serve as a warning."
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Various locations, from parking lots to restaurants, were used
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to stage the stings. The arrests occurred after cash changed
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hands. The largest transaction involved $250,000 in exchange
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for 5, 000 Intel computer parts.
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In December of 1991, Newsbytes reported that The Acer
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Group had $250,000-worth of Acer 386 notebook computers
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stolen on the way to the company's San Jose, California,
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factory.
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In February of 1992, Newsbytes reported that PC Force,
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a computer retailer in California's City of Industry was one of
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20 to 30 Los Angeles area businesses hit by a RAM memory thief.
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In that instance, a man came into the store on the Martin Luther
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