A Kansas man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen scientific calculators after being arrested for stealing them from a Maquoketa Wal-Mart.
According to a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 29-year-old Caleb Nelson was convicted of one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce. He was convicted Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at a federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“At the plea hearing, Nelson admitted to agreeing with others to transport over $5,000 in stolen scientific calculators,” said a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Officials say Nelson also admitted to traveling with a co-conspirator from Wisconsin to Iowa on August 13, 2013 with over 200 stolen calculators, worth about $26,000, in tow. On that day Nelson and a co-conspirator stole 14 scientific calculators worth nearly $1,300 from a Maquoketa Wal-Mart. The two were arrested shortly after leaving the store.
Nelson could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and three years of supervised release after any imprisonment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Officials say Nelson’s brother, Jacob Nelson, pleaded guilty in November of 2013 for conspiring to transport stolen calculators. Jacob will be sentenced in February at the U.S. District Courthouse in Cedar Rapids.