Suspect in Amazon theft ring arrested on child porn charge

SEATTLE (AP) — A man suspected of leading a theft ring that sold millions of dollars' worth of stolen goods on Amazon has been arrested on an unrelated child pornography charge.

Aleksandr Pavlovski of Auburn, Washington, was identified in a search warrant affidavit unsealed last month as the ringleader of a scheme that used fake pawn shops to buy stolen goods from shoplifters, as well as from two contract delivery drivers working for Amazon. The FBI said accounts affiliated with the 44-year-old Pavlovski made sales of at least $10 million on Amazon.

An FBI agent wrote in a complaint unsealed Monday that when investigators searched Pavlovski's phone looking for evidence of the theft scheme, they found hundreds of pornographic images of children.

A message seeking comment from Pavlovski's attorney was not immediately returned.