SCRANTON – A federal judge sentenced a Tobyhanna man to eight years' imprisonment last for his involvement in a heavy equipment theft ring that operated in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.   Orlando Perez, 46, most pay over $461,000 in restitution.

In April 2011, Perez pleaded guilty to his involvement in stealing heavy equipment, including forklifts and skid steers, and transporting them in interstate commerce to New York City where he would sell them to others involved in the scheme.

On May 23, 2010, law enforcement personnel with those agencies arrested Perez at the Delaware Water Gap while transporting in his tractor trailer two forklifts that he had stolen an hour earlier. The investigation revealed that from 2004 through 2010, Perez was responsible for the theft of more than 100 pieces of heavy equipment with a value of between $1,000,000 and $2,500,000. Two others involved in the scheme, Owshadram Mohabir and Anthony Calbo, were previously sentenced 51 months' imprisonment and 48 months' imprisonment, respectively.

The arrest of Perez was the result of a coordinated investigative effort by the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police and the New York State Police.