Police say Grayslake man sold stolen music gear on eBay

An ex-employee at a well-known Mundelein guitar and music-equipment manufacturer faces theft charges after he was caught selling stolen gear on eBay, police said.

William R. Abel, 41, formerly the vice president of sales for U.S. Music Corp., is charged with felony theft.

Abel, of the 1200 block of Chesterfield Lane, Grayslake, was arrested Jan. 28 following a roughly two-month investigation. He had resigned from a sales position with the company before his arrest, said Mark Kinsman, U.S. Music's chief information officer.

The company, at 444 E. Courtland St., manufactures Washburn guitars, Randall amplifiers and other popular brands of music equipment. The thefts were discovered after company officials noticed unusual activity on eBay, Kinsman said.

U.S. Music notified eBay and the online financial service PayPal, which alerted Mundelein police, Kinsman said.

Abel stole equipment valued at more than $20,000, police said. The thefts began in 2007, police said.

Abel was motivated by financial problems and other issues, police investigator Marc Hergott said. He checked out some of the pieces as sales samples but didn't return them, Hergott said.

Abel was released from police custody after his arrest. He could not be reached for comment.

No court information was available.