Two jailed over ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of stolen goods

Steven and Simon Hoang were well-known customers at top stores in Leeds and Manchester and at one stage had even had a personal shopper at Luis Vuitton after spending £9,000 there, but Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday that their visits had another dishonest motive.

They and others on their behalf, including their mother Thi, were stealing valuable items either for resale through the internet auction site E-bay or which were taken back for exchange vouchers or receipts which were also then sold on.

When police searched their home in Hamilton Avenue, Chapeltown, Leeds, on January 23, 2008 they found Versace T-shirts, Lacoste track suits, Reiss jackets, skirts and dresses, Prada, DKNY and Luis Vuitton handbags, Vivienne Westwood belts, Sony laptops and items from among others Dolce and Gabbana, Wallis, Ted Baker, Gap, Next and Ralph Lauren.

Officers estimated the trio had probably shared over £150,000 from their dishonesty.

Simon Hoang, a student, had £36,000 in a bank account and no apparent income. He bragged to a police constable about having bought a top-of-the-range BMW saying he probably earned more in one week than the officer in a year.

Steven had around £41,000 in a bank account, having only declared around £11,000 in earnings, while their mother had £23,000 in the bank while claiming benefits.

Ian Brook, prosecuting, said police were alerted after store staff noticed items missing and saw similar ones appearing on eBay marked BNWT – brand new with tags. The account traced as offering them was in the name of Steven Hoang.

After the search, stores were contacted and a sales assistant at Harvey Nichols identified 14 belts found at the house as having been offered for sale by the store, worth more than £4,000.

The manager at Luis Vuitton in Leeds was contacted and noticing the name Hoang on a label asked whether it was Steven or Simon, saying they had been good customers until Steven was filmed on closed circuit TV stealing a pair of designer sunglasses worth £305.

He had been telephoned and returned them within half an hour and was not reported to the police but barred from the store instead.

David Dixon, for Steven Hoang, said he offended trying to keep up with others from a privileged background.

Steven Hoang, 23 and Simon Hoang, 22, were each jailed for three years after admitting conspiracy to convert criminal property between January 2006 and March 2010.

Their mother Thi, 57, was jailed for 12 months for the same offence.

Sentencing them Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: “Day in day out the courts of this land deal with those who steal from shops. Most of these people do it for dire financial need, many are addicted to drugs and need the money to fund their habits. This is not such a case.

“You three have had all the advantages of life. You participated in this conspiracy for greed and in the case of the male defendants to adorn themselves with the frippery of material items.”

He said high value items were stolen over a significant period of time in a highly organised conspiracy. A huge quantity of such goods was seized from their home in 2008 but when released on bail following that the two brothers showed no remorse but continued offending.

He told their mother, who had convictions for shoplifting, that she was a thoroughly dishonest woman who had set “no example to her children.”