$5000 in gear stolen, some sold on ebay, please help me find my stuff, SN's

**geomez** · 09-03-2016, 10:33 AM - **1 Like**

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The gist:
Last week on Tuesday, August 23rd, we drove into St. Louis, MO to see the Gateway Arch. We parked our motorhome on the street and went to the monument. A couple hours later, we returned, and our vehicle had been ransacked. Someone had broken in and went through everything. They stole around $5000 worth of my family's stuff including the backups of all the pictures I've taken on the trip.

Backstory:
I have a wife and three young children. A couple months ago she was forced to medically retire from the Air Force. She has a life threatening auto immune disease that has progressed to the point that she is no longer able to do her job. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, we decided to sell our vehicles and much of our stuff to go on a big trip to see all the places my wife has always wanted to see before it's too late. We've now been on a trip across the US for the last two months. It's my wife's "bucket list" trip. I being the photographer in the family, have been documenting the trip as well at taking artistic shots along the way.

Below is a list of photography related items that were stolen:

Pentax HD D-FA 150-450mm f3.5-5.6 lens
SN: 4405824

Pentax K-3 camera
SN: 4874168

Pentax Q-S1 camera
SN: 2597021

Pentax SMC DA 15mm f4 ltd lens
SN: 9326206

Pentax Adapter Q for K Mount lens
SN: 5023860

Pentax Q01 w/ aftermarket slim metal screw-on hood attached
Pentax Q03 w/ focus lock helper attached (designed by forum member K10Perry)
Pentax Q06

Pentax FA 50 1.4 w/ aftermarket metal screw-on hood attached
Helios 44-2 w/ genuine Pentax m42 to K adapter attached
DA 15 f3 Ltd w/ broken AF
Tamron 1.5x TC
Focal MC 2x TC - deglassed, and felt-lined

Pentax PTX-L80 Soft Leather Case

Eyelead sensor cleaning gel stick

Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140
SN: CN0CK8N27443152E005G

Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130

In addition to that stuff, they also took my external hard drives with all my copies of the trip pictures, as well as all of my kids' action figues, legos, and stuffed animals.

Two of my stolen items, my K-3 and D-FA 150-450 were sold on ebay.

Pentax K 3 body black 24MP Digital SLR w batteries v p2047675 l2557 | eBay

Ricoh Pentax HD D FA 150 450mm f4 5 5 6 ED DC AW Len p2047675 l2557 | eBay

Luckily a forum member has purchased the 150-450 and has confirmed that it is mine.

I've been working with the St. Louis PD to try to locate my stuff and the person responsible. Unfortunately for me the detective assigned to my case is admittedly three weeks behind his case load, knows little about cyber crime, and says my case is low priority. So I'm trying to find my stuff and this guy on my own. Not for vigilante justice, but to do the detective work for the cops that they do not have time to do.

If anybody knows who bought my K-3 or if anybody sees my items, please let me know as soon as possible.
Any info on these items would be of great help.

Regards,
Geoff

Davidparis · 09-03-2016, 10:48 AM

Hello,
Terrible story and I really feel your pain. Hope you can concentrate on the trip and allow your wife to have a good time and enjoy herself. Will be on the lookout for your serial numbers and I hope the police catch the scums that did this.
Kind regards.

**BigMackCam** · 09-03-2016, 10:50 AM

Geoff, I'm so very sorry to hear that. What a terrible state of affairs

I'll keep an eye open here on the Marketplace, also on eBay and Gumtree (although I'm guessing the items will be sold in the US). I wonder if it's worth letting the larger national retailers know your list? B&H, Adorama, etc., in case anyone tries to sell items to them? Also - and I'm not a social networking person, but - perhaps some sort of appeal over facebook / twitter might spread the word and guilt-trip the culprit(s) into returning the most important items (your hard disks with images etc.)?

My thoughts are with you and your wife. Best of luck, will let you know if I see or hear anything of interest.

**monochrome** · 09-03-2016, 10:58 AM

That's awful! I'm embarrassed for my city. I understand this sort of thing happens to tourists and visiting bar bands quite often. I'll call the manager of Creve Couer Camera here (sold me my K-1) and ask her to alert all their stores to your loss. My bet is it went to pawn shops but you never know.

I think I'll speak to a radio personality friend too, but I don't know what result that will have.

Last edited by monochrome; 09-03-2016 at 12:08 PM.

**UncleVanya** · 09-03-2016, 11:09 AM

Put your equipment in the database in the site marked stolen.

See pm also.

**sergysergy** · 09-03-2016, 11:13 AM

Very good luck geomez. I will keep my eyes open.
I hope time puts people like that where they deserve.

rrstuff · 09-03-2016, 11:16 AM

That's awful. It has to show up somewhere, probably on craigslist. Good you have the serial numbers!

Nass · 09-03-2016, 11:30 AM

If a forum member purchased the stolen D-FA 150-450 on eBay, who was the eBay seller - can the police work with that?

You have my sympathy - terrible story.

mikeSF · 09-03-2016, 12:15 PM

So sorry

Racer X 69 · 09-03-2016, 01:45 PM - **1 Like**

Always sad to read of this sort of thing Geoff.

As Ness mentions, eBay should be some help here, since your property was sold via their venue. Once notified that a seller is offering stolen property, shouldn't they work with you to help identify the criminals involved?

**paulh** · 09-03-2016, 02:12 PM

That is terrible - so sorry to hear this. Hope you can recover most of the stolen gear. I'll monitor my local Craigslist (Dallas) in case any of that equipment made its way down here.

alamo5000 · 09-03-2016, 02:25 PM - **4 Likes**

You have a couple of things working for you and against you.

#1 have yourself AND the buyer of that lens contact Ebay and include a copy of your police report citing the serial numbers in it as well as a photo of the number from the lens. In one swoop they can identify that seller.

#2 the local police department is going to treat that case as 'the last thing they need to worry about'... more than likely they will tell you to file an insurance claim and to 'watch your stuff more carefully'.

#3 if the stuff was stolen in one state and then sold to buyer in another state (stolen property) it then becomes a federal crime not a local crime. That said the sheer price of the one lens in general will kick it up into felony territory. In Texas for example $1500 of one or combined cases of theft equates to a felony. So if someone stole 3 things that add up to that much or more it's a felony offense.

If I were you I would call the FBI Cyber crimes division.

Organized Crime — FBI

Tell them your story and that you think it's an organized crime group that is selling stolen goods across state lines. And once they know the owner, the BUYER and know that Ebay has the seller's information... that will get you farther than some schmuck who is going to try and treat it as a simple case of theft where no one was hurt.

jimr-pdx · 09-03-2016, 02:37 PM

I once had a digital camcorder return over a year later. Stolen in Portland, recovered in Reno after a raid. It can happen .. of course I had replaced it by then, bit any victory is worth mentioning.

I'm really sorry this messed up your relaxing trip & hope you get some good news soon.

Not a Number · 09-03-2016, 03:06 PM - **2 Likes**

If the seller is in another state other than MO or the seller and buyer are in different states then the FBI can get involved. If the item(s) were shipped USPS then the Postal Inspector can get involved.

See also:

Stolen property policy
Law Enforcement Center

alamo5000 · 09-03-2016, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by Not a Number

If the seller is in another state other than MO or the seller and buyer are in different states then the FBI can get involved. If the item(s) were shipped USPS then the Postal Inspector can get involved.

See also:

Stolen property policy
Law Enforcement Center

Oh yeah... postal fraud... I didn't think of that... I also failed to mention the financial crimes division...IE wire fraud... all Federal crimes.

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09-03-2016, 10:33 AM - 1 Like	#1
geomez Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Roanoke, Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,760	$5000 in gear stolen, some sold on ebay, please help me find my stuff, SN's Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. The gist: Last week on Tuesday, August 23rd, we drove into St. Louis, MO to see the Gateway Arch. We parked our motorhome on the street and went to the monument. A couple hours later, we returned, and our vehicle had been ransacked. Someone had broken in and went through everything. They stole around $5000 worth of my family's stuff including the backups of all the pictures I've taken on the trip. Backstory: I have a wife and three young children. A couple months ago she was forced to medically retire from the Air Force. She has a life threatening auto immune disease that has progressed to the point that she is no longer able to do her job. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, we decided to sell our vehicles and much of our stuff to go on a big trip to see all the places my wife has always wanted to see before it's too late. We've now been on a trip across the US for the last two months. It's my wife's "bucket list" trip. I being the photographer in the family, have been documenting the trip as well at taking artistic shots along the way. Below is a list of photography related items that were stolen: Pentax HD D-FA 150-450mm f3.5-5.6 lens SN: 4405824 Pentax K-3 camera SN: 4874168 Pentax Q-S1 camera SN: 2597021 Pentax SMC DA 15mm f4 ltd lens SN: 9326206 Pentax Adapter Q for K Mount lens SN: 5023860 Pentax Q01 w/ aftermarket slim metal screw-on hood attached Pentax Q03 w/ focus lock helper attached (designed by forum member K10Perry) Pentax Q06 Pentax FA 50 1.4 w/ aftermarket metal screw-on hood attached Helios 44-2 w/ genuine Pentax m42 to K adapter attached DA 15 f3 Ltd w/ broken AF Tamron 1.5x TC Focal MC 2x TC - deglassed, and felt-lined Pentax PTX-L80 Soft Leather Case Eyelead sensor cleaning gel stick Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140 SN: CN0CK8N27443152E005G Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130 In addition to that stuff, they also took my external hard drives with all my copies of the trip pictures, as well as all of my kids' action figues, legos, and stuffed animals. Two of my stolen items, my K-3 and D-FA 150-450 were sold on ebay. Pentax K 3 body black 24MP Digital SLR w batteries v p2047675 l2557 \| eBay Ricoh Pentax HD D FA 150 450mm f4 5 5 6 ED DC AW Len p2047675 l2557 \| eBay Luckily a forum member has purchased the 150-450 and has confirmed that it is mine. I've been working with the St. Louis PD to try to locate my stuff and the person responsible. Unfortunately for me the detective assigned to my case is admittedly three weeks behind his case load, knows little about cyber crime, and says my case is low priority. So I'm trying to find my stuff and this guy on my own. Not for vigilante justice, but to do the detective work for the cops that they do not have time to do. If anybody knows who bought my K-3 or if anybody sees my items, please let me know as soon as possible. Any info on these items would be of great help. Regards, Geoff

09-03-2016, 10:48 AM	#2
Davidparis Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 290	Hello, Terrible story and I really feel your pain. Hope you can concentrate on the trip and allow your wife to have a good time and enjoy herself. Will be on the lookout for your serial numbers and I hope the police catch the scums that did this. Kind regards.

09-03-2016, 10:50 AM	#3
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,642	Geoff, I'm so very sorry to hear that. What a terrible state of affairs I'll keep an eye open here on the Marketplace, also on eBay and Gumtree (although I'm guessing the items will be sold in the US). I wonder if it's worth letting the larger national retailers know your list? B&H, Adorama, etc., in case anyone tries to sell items to them? Also - and I'm not a social networking person, but - perhaps some sort of appeal over facebook / twitter might spread the word and guilt-trip the culprit(s) into returning the most important items (your hard disks with images etc.)? My thoughts are with you and your wife. Best of luck, will let you know if I see or hear anything of interest.

09-03-2016, 10:58 AM	#4
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	That's awful! I'm embarrassed for my city. I understand this sort of thing happens to tourists and visiting bar bands quite often. I'll call the manager of Creve Couer Camera here (sold me my K-1) and ask her to alert all their stores to your loss. My bet is it went to pawn shops but you never know. I think I'll speak to a radio personality friend too, but I don't know what result that will have. Last edited by monochrome; 09-03-2016 at 12:08 PM.

09-03-2016, 11:09 AM	#5
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,381	Put your equipment in the database in the site marked stolen. See pm also.

09-03-2016, 11:13 AM	#6
sergysergy Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,168	Very good luck geomez. I will keep my eyes open. I hope time puts people like that where they deserve.

09-03-2016, 11:16 AM	#7
rrstuff Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Pasadena, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,126	That's awful. It has to show up somewhere, probably on craigslist. Good you have the serial numbers!

09-03-2016, 11:30 AM	#8
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	If a forum member purchased the stolen D-FA 150-450 on eBay, who was the eBay seller - can the police work with that? You have my sympathy - terrible story.

09-03-2016, 12:15 PM	#9
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,620	So sorry

09-03-2016, 01:45 PM - 1 Like	#10
Racer X 69 Moderator Man With A Camera Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The Great Pacific Northwet, in the Land Between Canada and Mexico Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,064	Always sad to read of this sort of thing Geoff. As Ness mentions, eBay should be some help here, since your property was sold via their venue. Once notified that a seller is offering stolen property, shouldn't they work with you to help identify the criminals involved?

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09-03-2016, 02:12 PM	#11
paulh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: DFW Texas/Ventura County, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 33,237	That is terrible - so sorry to hear this. Hope you can recover most of the stolen gear. I'll monitor my local Craigslist (Dallas) in case any of that equipment made its way down here.

09-03-2016, 02:25 PM - 4 Likes	#12
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	You have a couple of things working for you and against you. #1 have yourself AND the buyer of that lens contact Ebay and include a copy of your police report citing the serial numbers in it as well as a photo of the number from the lens. In one swoop they can identify that seller. #2 the local police department is going to treat that case as 'the last thing they need to worry about'... more than likely they will tell you to file an insurance claim and to 'watch your stuff more carefully'. #3 if the stuff was stolen in one state and then sold to buyer in another state (stolen property) it then becomes a federal crime not a local crime. That said the sheer price of the one lens in general will kick it up into felony territory. In Texas for example $1500 of one or combined cases of theft equates to a felony. So if someone stole 3 things that add up to that much or more it's a felony offense. If I were you I would call the FBI Cyber crimes division. Organized Crime — FBI Tell them your story and that you think it's an organized crime group that is selling stolen goods across state lines. And once they know the owner, the BUYER and know that Ebay has the seller's information... that will get you farther than some schmuck who is going to try and treat it as a simple case of theft where no one was hurt.

09-03-2016, 02:37 PM	#13
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	I once had a digital camcorder return over a year later. Stolen in Portland, recovered in Reno after a raid. It can happen .. of course I had replaced it by then, bit any victory is worth mentioning. I'm really sorry this messed up your relaxing trip & hope you get some good news soon.

09-03-2016, 03:06 PM - 2 Likes	#14
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,525	If the seller is in another state other than MO or the seller and buyer are in different states then the FBI can get involved. If the item(s) were shipped USPS then the Postal Inspector can get involved. See also: Stolen property policy Law Enforcement Center

09-03-2016, 03:14 PM	#15
alamo5000 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,962	Originally posted by Not a Number If the seller is in another state other than MO or the seller and buyer are in different states then the FBI can get involved. If the item(s) were shipped USPS then the Postal Inspector can get involved. See also: Stolen property policy Law Enforcement Center Oh yeah... postal fraud... I didn't think of that... I also failed to mention the financial crimes division...IE wire fraud... all Federal crimes.