New York News

Man Admits To Gym Break-Ins, Using Credit Cards To Buy Goods

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published December 12, 2018 at 3:09 PM EST

A New York City man has been sentenced for breaking into gym lockers to steal credit cards and purchasing nearly $100,000 in high-end electronic devices.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office says 51-year-old George Piha, a Romanian national who lived in Queens, was sentenced Tuesday in Buffalo to 2 to 6 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Piha admitted to making the thefts from fitness centers in the Buffalo area between February and July. He faces similar charges involving gym break-ins in Albany, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Monroe, Onondaga and Oneida counties.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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