A 54-year-old North Attleboro man has pleaded guilty to stealing gold, silver and platinum from a Rhode Island jewelry manufacturer.
Benjamin Preacher, who worked for the company as a manufacturing supervisor, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court, Boston.
Preacher stole the precious metals from his employer over a period of more than three years.
Feds say Massachusetts man sold more than $1 million in stolen precious metal to a company in Canton, Mass.
Between March 2020 and March 2023, Preacher then sold the stolen metals to various businesses in Massachusetts, including one Canton-based metals buyer that paid him more than $1 million, according to federal prosecutors.
In 2023, a West Bridgewater metals buyer paid him more than $177,000 for metals that included sheets of gold.
Preacher, who was charged in March, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen goods and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
He made the pleas before U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley, who scheduled his sentencing for September.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Employee stole more than $1 million in precious metals on job in R.I.