Subject: No problem... just don't resell yours on eBay-(news article appended) Author: ChicagoE38 : member since December, 2003 : 1569 posts Posted on: 2005-09-16 12:15:22

Trail of stolen laptop winds through Web-Computer had data for UC Berkeley students, alumni

Friday, September 16, 2005

A stolen laptop with personal data for more than 98,000 current and former UC Berkeley students has been recovered with no evidence of identity theft, and a college student has been charged with buying the computer from the thief -- and selling it for profit on Ebay, university officials said Thursday.

Shuki Alburati, 18, a City College of San Francisco freshman, is accused of buying a computer from a woman who stole it from a UC Berkeley office in March. Alburati then sold the laptop over the Internet to an unsuspecting South Carolina man.

An analysis of the computer at a Silicon Valley forensic lab revealed that it had been reformatted, making it hard to determine whether anyone had accessed the names and Social Security numbers of 98,369 graduate students, graduate school applicants and other individuals, including those who received doctoral degrees as far back as 1976.

But university spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said Thursday, "There's nothing in the Police Department investigation that points to any type of identity theft or credit card theft."

Alburati, who specializes in selling laptops and cell phones online, told The Chronicle on Thursday that he didn't know the new IBM X40 worth $2,429 had been stolen from an unlocked office at UC Berkeley. He blamed his plight on a woman who sold him the computer in April for only $300 or $340 during a transaction outside his apartment on Leavenworth Street in San Francisco.

"It's unfair," said Alburati, a business student who has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property. "I didn't know it was stolen. She should stop what she's doing because she'll get caught eventually."

The woman hasn't been identified, and Alburati said he didn't know her name. But he described her as African American, about 5 feet 2 inches tall and 200 pounds, with short, straight hair, which fits the description of a woman in her 40s who was spotted leaving a Graduate Division employee's fourth-floor office in Sproul Hall shortly before 1 p.m. March 11, university officials said.

On April 14, Alburati said he received a phone call from a man who saw his ad on Craigslist, the popular online bulletin board where people post job listings, sell things and look for dates.

The man said his mother had a laptop she wanted to sell. A couple of days later, the woman double-parked on his street and sold him the computer after saying it wasn't stolen.

"The whole transaction only took about one minute," Alburati said in a statement to police. "She seemed suspicious, because she sold me an expensive laptop for such a low price. If the laptop was stolen, I did not know about it. I just took her word for it."

Alburati said he didn't remember if he had reformatted the laptop, although he would usually do so if a computer contained personal files.

On April 19, Alburati placed the laptop for sale on Ebay, the online auction site, where his posting read, "I sell almost all laptops that exist. I sell new, old, used, broken, working, you name it!"

By the end of the week, the winning bidder in South Carolina bought the computer for $1,195.50, although Alburati later refunded him $200 because the laptop didn't use Bluetooth technology as Alburati had advertised. The South Carolina man installed a new operating system on the computer.

UC Berkeley police tracked down the computer on June 1 and retrieved it with the help of police in South Carolina. Police arrested Alburati on June 8 on suspicion of two felony counts of receiving stolen property, and he was jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail. The next day, however, prosecutors lodged a single misdemeanor count against him.

Alburati is scheduled for trial Sept. 30 before Superior Court Judge Michael Gaffey in Oakland.

• Yaaaaaaaaaaarg! This cop thing in the NAV bbs is driving me crazy. How about a (pic) - Solihull 2005-09-12 21:12:17 (623 views)
  • I promise to shut up, so it should die off. Sorry. :) (nt) - joel 2005-09-12 21:26:23 (233 views)
    • Now that you're a paid up member Joel, we can return to your Mens Rea claim- (url) - ChicagoE38 2005-09-13 00:23:42 (372 views)
      • Honestly, review the state laws. You will find that for an - joel 2005-09-13 02:46:24 (267 views)
        • That's why I specifically asked you what state you were in Joel. You said Ohio. - ChicagoE38 2005-09-13 09:41:15 (341 views)
          • I do agree that a judge will not sign a warrant for however - joel 2005-09-13 11:03:35 (331 views)
            • Try willfull blindness? (nt) - ChicagoE38 2005-09-13 11:29:54 (276 views)
              • Again, the trite one-liners. You obviously know you are out - joel 2005-09-13 11:50:05 (239 views)
                • Lets deal with the facts of your case so as not to prejudice others... (nt) - ChicagoE38 2005-09-13 11:55:17 (268 views)
                  • No matter what you or I say, the people here who may be affected - joel 2005-09-13 13:10:27 (307 views)
                    • Willfull Blindness is a legal argument and not a one-liner. - ChicagoE38 2005-09-13 13:29:02 (437 views)
                      • Fair enough. I understand your position now. Just to clarify, I - joel 2005-09-13 14:53:31 (285 views)
                        • No problem... just don't resell yours on eBay-(news article appended) - ChicagoE38 2005-09-16 12:15:22 (396 views)