Elderly Naples couple pleads guilty to stealing from stores to sell on eBay

An elderly Naples couple has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for selling stolen property on their eBay store.

According to the plea agreement released Tuesday, beginning at least as early as September 2020, 81-year-old Richard Murtaugh and 77-year-old Gail Murtaugh reportedly engaged in a scheme to steal merchandise from big-box retailers and grocers in Collier and Lee counties, which they turned around and sold on eBay.

In 2021 and 2022 specifically, the Murtaughs were caught on store video surveillance stealing thousands of dollars worth of personal hygiene products, grooming supplies, nicotine products, teeth whitening and dental care supplies, over-the-counter medications, drill bits and other merchandise.

Records showed that between December 2020 and May 2022, the Murtaughs were paid $175,621.31 in profits by eBay for the sale of stolen goods. 

In April 2022, the United States Postal Inspection Service executed a search warrant at the Murtaughs’ home on the Isle of Capri in Naples.

Inside the home, postal inspectors found thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, which appeared to be the same or similar to the items the Murtaughs had been observed stealing from various retailers.

Their iPads were also searched, which contained photos that matched the listing photos of stolen merchandise on the Murtaughs’ eBay store. 

As part of their guilty pleas, the couple agreed to forfeit $175,621.31, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.