Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has announced that the Attorney General’s Criminal Division has charged four Michigan residents with multiple crimes in connection to an alleged organized crime operation targeting industrial areas of southeast Michigan.
Damian Massa 52, of Mason, James Tabor 43, of Carleton, Zaklina Tabor 40, of Carleton, and David Wendler 40, of Monroe, face criminal charges for the alleged theft and subsequent selling of plastic pallets used in Michigan’s automotive industry. The charges are the result of an undercover operation conducted by the Livonia Police Department with assistance from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, and General Motors Corporation.
“By cracking down on crime and corruption, Michigan can once again be a safe, profitable place to do business,” said Schuette, “Our office is committed to partnering with local law enforcement to bring down criminal organizations wherever they operate.”
It is alleged that the suspects were involved in a racketeering operation where plastic pallets used in the automotive industry, valued between $300 and $500 each, were stolen from industrial yards, and then fenced through legitimate and illegitimate businesses. Schuette’s office is working in cooperation with the Livonia Police Department to ensure that all aspects of the alleged criminal operation have been halted.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
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