Christopher D. Casamento, age 42, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to one count of been of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property. The United States represented that PayPal informed the FBI that a vendor on Ebay known as “Steel-City-Motor-Toys” sold over 13,000 PPE, primarily Aura N-95 Masks, surgical masks and particulate masks at inflated prices during the height of the Covid pandemic in early 2020. FBI confirmed that the registered owner of Steel City Motor Toys was the defendant, Christopher D. Casamento, who admitted to stealing PPE from his former employer, the University of Pittsburgh while serving as the Director of Emergency Management during the Covid pandemic from February 28, 2020, to March 22, 2020. Masks were shipped to buyers in states outside of Pennsylvania, earning Casamento approximately $18,783.50. Casamento was terminated by University of Pittsburgh officials in July 2020.
