Elgin man sentenced for stealing and selling dental equipment

An Elgin man has been sentenced to four years in prison for stealing and then selling dental equipment valued at more than $146,000.

Miguel Pizano, 27, of the 200 block of South Clifton Avenue, pleaded guilty Monday in DuPage County court to one count of conspiracy to commit theft in excess of $100,000.

Prosecutors said between April and July, 2011, Pizano, along with at least one unknown accomplice, stole four dental imagers from Planmeca, a Roselle dental supply company.

An investigation by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, the Roselle Police Department and the DuPage County state's attorney's office revealed that Pizano then stored the equipment in a public storage unit in Elgin. At some point between May and December of 2012, Pizano sold the equipment to a Mexico-based company for $31,000.

"Not only did (Pizano) attempt to fence $140,000 worth of high-tech dental equipment land him in jail for the next four years, it also caused great hardship to Planmeca," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement.

Pizano had been free on $3,000 bail since his arrest. He was immediately taken into custody following his plea to begin serving his sentence.

In addition to his prison sentence, Pizano also was ordered to pay $146,000 in restitution to Planmeca.