A North Attleborough man has pleaded guilty to charges related to stealing over $1 million in precious metals from his Rhode Island employer and selling them to metals dealers in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Benjamin Preacher, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods and one count of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions in federal court on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a press release.
In 2018, Preacher began working as a manufacturing supervisor for a luxury items manufacturer that made gold, silver and platinum jewelry, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. Between March 2020 and November 2023, he used his position to steal precious metals from the company’s facility in Rhode Island and sell them to metals dealers in Canton and West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
Preacher’s sales to the Canton dealer alone amounted to over $1 million, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. They included a March 2020 sale of 18-carat gold during which he garnered over $50,000 and a January 2022 platinum sale during which he garnered nearly $40,000.
Preacher was identified as a suspect on March 1, 2024, when his employer’s security cameras recorded him stealing a piece of white gold valued at roughly $2,200, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. During a search of his home on March 14, authorities found and seized more precious metal scraps.
Authorities arrested and charged Preacher in March 2024. A judge scheduled his sentencing for Sept. 18.
The charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the monetary gain or loss — whichever is greater. The charge of unlawful monetary transactions provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the laundered funds.