Two men from Kansas City, Kansas have been indicted by a grand jury in a case involving a truckload of stolen Nike athletic shoes. Darrell Lawson, 49, and James Peoples, 42, are charged with one count of conspiring together to possess stolen goods that crossed state lines.
“The indictment charges that on Feb. 25, 2003, a trailer containing 5,500 pairs of Nike athletic shoes was stolen,” said United States Attorney Eric Melgren. “Within a few days, the shoes were in the possession of the two defendants.”
According to the indictment, on March 4, 2003, Peoples was acting on behalf of another person when he offered to sell the load of shoes to Lawson. The two met in Kansas City, Kan., with another conspirator who had possession of the shoes. Lawson agreed to buy a quantity of the shoes from him. Then Peoples, Lawson and other conspirators took the trailer to Kansas City, Mo. Lawson and one or more conspirators unloaded some of the stolen shoes and brought them back to Kansas. On or before March 11, 2005, Lawson and other conspirators sold the shoes.
If convicted, Lawson and Peoples face a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
