A 58-year-old Bellevue, Washington and Las Vegas man, Andrey A. Balun, pleaded guilty in federal court in Seattle to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce. His 53-year-old business partner, Vitaliy F. Bobak of Federal Way, Washington, was charged in the same case for operating a large-scale trafficking scheme through Amazon and eBay, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The pair operated out of a Burien storefront called "We Buy Gold, Silver, and Electronics," under Balun’s company MBA Trading LLC, which Bobak became a 50 percent owner of in 2019. They purchased stolen over-the-counter medications and health and beauty products at low prices and resold them online through the Amazon store "Medikus" and the eBay store "abcstore555," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A federal investigation uncovered a retail theft and resale conspiracy involving national and international sales, identifying more than 150,000 transactions conducted from January 1, 2022, through November 28, 2023. On December 19, 2023, authorities executed search warrants and seized more than 74,000 items valued at about $2.4 million. Investigators traced over $4.5 million in proceeds to the bank accounts of Balun and Bobak, including at least $1 million attributed to Balun, with the Department of Justice stating the funds were used to pay “boosters” who stole merchandise, cover payroll, and support personal expenses. Balun agreed to forfeit $1 million as part of a plea deal; the charge of conspiracy to transport stolen property carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Balun is scheduled for sentencing on March 11, 2026, and Bobak is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Tana Lin on January 14, 2026. The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Renton Police Department, the Seattle Police Department, the IRS, and retail investigators, with the case prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean H. Waite and Asset Forfeiture Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Bush, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
