Real Estate Agent Allegedly Steals Competitor’s For Sale Signs
Bridgeport, CT — A Connecticut real estate agent is in big trouble after police were able to determine that he stole his competitor’s for sale signs.
The man, 54-year-old Robert Toth of Shelton, was officially charged for the theft on Wednesday, reports The Connecticut Post. Toth faces third-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass.
The mystery began in September when Jihad Shaheer, the owner of US Asset Realty in Stratford, Connecticut, complained to police that his for sale signs were being taken.
Police investigated and discovered that at least six of Shaheer’s signs were stolen from properties in Bridgeport, while two more were taken from the lawns of two homes in Stratford.
After performing their investigation, police determined that Toth, who owns American Home Realty on Arden Road in Trumbull, was to blame for the missing signs. They have not said exactly how they came to the determination, but if Toth kept the signs he stole, they would certainly be incriminating evidence.
The Washington Post notes that Robert Toth is a former employee of Johad Shaheer, but that he left the realty group to form his own. There is no information on why Toth left the realty group, or if the two have had disagreements in the past.
While Toth was likely not arrested for the crimes at the time, he could face prison time up to 5 years for his larceny charge and one year for his criminal trespass charge, which is considered a misdemeanor.
Robert Toth has declined to comment on the charges. There is no statement from Shaheer either — or information on whether he got the stolen for sale signs back or not.
