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Tuesday, August 27, 2013
News Former Charlotte-area realtor pleads guilty to stealing appliances from HUD homes
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Tue, Aug 27, 2013 at 2:55 PM
Talk about desperate for a buck. A former Charlotte-area relator pleaded guilty this week to stealing household appliances from vacant homes owned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Joanna Bourne (Flickr, Creative Commons)
- "I was scared for my life," said the victim, shown here.
From September 2008 to July 2009, Sember Lynn Smathers, 49, would enter HUD homes twice a week and steal refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers, among other items. She and a partner would sell the appliances on Craigslist as well as from a building in Shelby. Per a U.S. Attorney's Office release:
Court records indicate that in one instance, Smathers and another person were conducting a "clean out" while subcontractors were working at the same vacant HUD property. When the subcontractors questioned Smathers about the removal of the appliances from the home, Smathers falsely represented that she and her co-conspirator also worked for the same subcontractors and had been directed to remove the appliances from the home. Court records show that Smathers stole over $13,678 worth of appliances from the vacant homes.
Smathers has been released on bond pending sentencing and faces a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine.
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