An Illinois man was sentenced to federal prison for a scheme to steal millions of dollars worth of cargo, including liquor and commercial-grade copper, by posing as a representative of both real and fictitious logistics companies.
On May 6, 2026, Aivaras Zigmantas, 41, of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Zigmantas pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December of 2025.
Officials say that between 2020 to 2023, Zigmantas used various aliases, posing as an employee of real and fictitious motor carriers and freight brokers that offered to transport goods across state lines.
After misrepresenting himself, Zigmantas induced companies to release loads of cargo to him, which he then diverted to other locations and stole.
Authorities say Zigmantas and others ” intended to steal at least $14.6 million in goods and successfully stole more than $10.1 million.”
“Over the course of three years, defendant stole more than $10 million in shipments of copper and liquor by fraudulently posing as employees of both legitimate and fictitious logistics companies,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate McClelland said. “He had the ability to make different choices, but refused to do so, resulting in increasingly serious criminal conduct and substantial losses to his victims.”
This case was investigated as part of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force.
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