*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***March 9, 2005                                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMEDIA MADHOUSE IS “TARGET” OF STOLEN MERCHANDISE SEIZUREMEDIA CONTACT:  Curtis T. Hill, Jr. 296-1888                        Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney Curtis T. Hill, Jr. announced that during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 8, 2005, officers with the Mishawaka Police Department working in conjunction with the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department executed search warrants at two Media Madhouse locations, one at 30879 U.S. 20 Elkhart, and the other at 304 McKinley Avenue, Mishawaka.  Both businesses are reportedly owned by Lawrence (Larry) Lein of Granger.              The investigation into Media Madhouse and Lein commenced in December of 2004 when detectives from the Mishawaka Police Department received information from Target Corporation regarding the theft of a number of merchandise items including DVD movies from the Target store.  Further investigation by the Mishawaka Police Department revealed the presence of an active fencing operation in both St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.  A fencing operation involves the theft of property by individuals known as boosters, who steal property from local businesses on a regular basis and then sell the stolen merchandise to “businesses” engaged in the practice of resale.              During the course of this investigation, and with the active participation of Target Corporation, merchandise was taken to both Media Madhouse locations and sold to Lein and other store employees.  When sold, the merchandise was still in original store packaging with the price tag intact.  The merchandise was regularly sold to the stores at prices far below the retail price.  In February of 2005, the Mishawaka Police Department made contact with the Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the investigation was expanded from solely focusing upon the fencing operation to include the overall operation of both Media Madhouse businesses.  On March 8, 2005, search warrants were issued in Elkhart county and St. Joseph county for both businesses along with a third business in Mishawaka, the BuyCo on Grape Road.       During execution of the search warrant, officers of the Mishawaka Police Department, Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, and Elkhart County Prosecutor’s investigators seized an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) of inventory which was carted away in two large trucks, along with six thousand dollars ($6,000) in cash and other documents relevant to the investigation. Larry Lein was arrested by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department and is currently being held at the Elkhart County Jail on preliminary charges of Corrupt Business Influence, a Class C felony, and multiple counts of Receiving/Retaining Stolen Property, each a Class D felony.  A Class C felony carries a sentence of up to eight (8) years in prison and a Class D felony carries a sentence of up to three (3) years in prison; both have a maximum fine of $10,000.00 per offence.                “In my experience, it is rare to see the level of cooperation with law enforcement efforts as has been demonstrated by Target Corporation in this investigation.  Target not only assisted the police by providing information, they further provided employee time and incurred additional costs in the form of trucks and storage in the recovery of items subject to the seizure.  When professional thieves conduct fencing operations across county lines, it is critical that law enforcement agencies and prosecutors work together and share their collective knowledge, resources and abilities.  This investigation was successful because of the joint cooperation between St. Joe County and Elkhart County law enforcement officials but in particular this investigation was successful because of the spirited and active participation of Target Corporation going the extra mile in supporting community law enforcement efforts”, said Hill.