Stamford Antique Thief Steals Over $65k, Sells Goods Through PayPal Scam

N. Branford's Matthew Rossi was arrested by the Stamford Police Department on Monday and charged with both first degree larceny and third degree burglary for stealing goods from a local antique store, selling them on eBay and across the country.

"The owner of a local antique store noticed that money was missing in his PayPal account," SPD Property Crime Unit's Sgt. Andrew Gallagher said.

The name of the antique store owner and the name of the victimized store have not been released.

"The  owner discovered a diversion of funds into a PayPal account with a name similar to the store, created by Matthew Rossi," Gallagher said.

According to SPD Property Crimes Unit, Rossi personally stole the antiques from the store. In addition to selling the stolen items on eBay, Rossi sold the stolen goods in "flea markets" in CT, NY, and MA.

Gallagher suggests that Rossi's lucrative scheme may have stretched as far as Kansas City, MO.

Police gathered evidence to arrest Rossi by uncovering some of Rossi's PayPal records, which allowed them to locate some of the antiques  from people who'd unwittingly bought Rossi's stolen property.

SPD states that when Rossi knew police were about to close down his operation, he cooperated.

"The PayPal diversion resulted in the loss of $5,000 for the antique store," Gallagher said. "We gathered $65,000 worth of stolen antiques from Rossi's home, or 60% of the stolen property."

Rossi will have a day in court, but for the moment, he has been released on his own without a bond due to his cooperation with police and to receive "medical treatments".

SPD could not disclose the exact nature of Rossi's medical needs.