Glendale Hts. man gets jail, probation for eBay scheme

After $150,000 worth of merchandise went missing from an Omron Corp. warehouse in Glendale Heights, authorities said, an employee remarked that company officials could probably find some of the goods on eBay.They did.

On Wednesday, the seller who posted those items online -- a former Omron worker -- was sentenced to a mix of probation, jail and labor for a multiyear theft spree, prosecutors said.

Trung "Chuck" Pham, 30, of Glendale Heights, also must pay $159,000 in restitution, Judge John Kinsella ruled.

Pham was arrested last spring after Omron Corp. discovered more than 2,300 pieces of merchandise missing at its warehouse during a general inventory. Employees soon found some of the items for sale online, Assistant State's Attorney Diane Michalak said

"Someone jokingly remarked that the merchandise might be on eBay," she said. "Sure enough, it was."

After identifying Pham -- a warehouse worker -- as the seller, police searched his home on the 200 block of Paddock Circle and recovered 600 stolen items valued at $33,000, prosecutors said. Much of the merchandise was from Omron's commercial inventory, which includes home health care products.

Pham had faced up to seven years in prison after pleading guilty last month to felony theft over $10,000. He ended up receiving three years of probation, 10 days of work detail for the sheriff's office and 120 nights on jail work-release.

Pham had been employedat Omron, which also sells electronics equipment and parts for assembly lines, on and off since 2003. He told authorities he stole to support a gambling habit, but prosecutors said his reported losses were less than what was taken, and his home was filled with high-end appliances.

Defense attorney Dennis Born said Pham had no prior criminal history and has quit gambling.

"He is remorseful," Born said. "He will try to make restitution and lead a law-abiding life from now on."