Inside a $10.1M cargo theft ring: how a Lithuanian immigrant orchestrated a multiyear fraud scheme

A Lithuanian immigrant, Aivaras Zigmantas, was sentenced to five years in a U.S. federal prison for masterminding a three-year cargo theft operation that diverted 90 shipments worth over $10.1 million from 22 businesses. The scheme, which ran from March 2020 to September 2023, exploited weaknesses in freight brokerage systems by using fake companies, stolen identities, and online load boards to trick legitimate truck drivers into delivering goods to unauthorized locations. Zigmantas operated under at least 11 aliases, including Arturas Liaskevicius, Darius Meskauskas, Arminas Rimkus, and a woman’s name, Kathy Stone. He created fraudulent carriers and brokers such as Best Global Express, securing Department of Transportation and motor carrier numbers tied to sham entities to lend an air of legitimacy to transactions. Investigators said he used falsified credentials on load boards and other online marketplaces to bid on loads, offer contracts, and divert shipments from their intended destinations. After drivers picked up loads, Zigmantas would pose as a brokerage employee and redirect trucks to warehouses under his control, where the cargo was offloaded and reloaded onto trucks he operated. The stolen goods—primarily liquor and copper—were then transported to storage facilities, mostly in Illinois. Court records also allege Zigmantas engaged in bank fraud by obtaining checks drawn on accounts with insufficient funds, depositing them to inflate balances, and withdrawing the proceeds. Prosecutors noted the scheme targeted $14.6 million in cargo but succeeded in stealing over $10.1 million across 90 shipments. One victim alone lost $1.85 million in stolen copper loads, including a single shipment valued at $134,000. Zigmantas pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud in December 2025 and was sentenced on May 6, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo in Chicago. As part of the sentencing, Zigmantas was ordered to pay $10.3 million in restitution to 24 companies. The case underscores the scale of cargo theft in the U.S., which the American Transportation Research Institute estimates costs the industry approximately $6.6 billion annually. Authorities continue to target similar fraud through the Justice Department’s Trade Fraud Task Force.