Stratford Man Faces Up to Six Years in Prison in Connection to One of the Largest Watch Thefts in U.S. History

A Stratford man faces up to six years in prison after pleading no contest Wednesday to charges in connection to the thefts of more than 600 high-end watches worth nearly $1 million, according to the Connecticut Post.

Mark Bancroft, 52, of Auburn Street, was accused of selling watches that were stolen from Victorinox Swiss Army in Monroe and selling them on eBay.

The Post reports that on Wednesday the judge told Bancroft, who owns a pool hall and barber shop in town, his sentence will be based on his ability to make restitution to Victorinox — if he makes no restitution he faces six years in prison and if he makes $25,000 or more he will get five years when he is sentenced Feb. 6.

Another Stratford resident, Gilberto Nieves, 38, was sentenced to six years in prison in September for his role in the thefts, which occurred in 2012.

Nieves, who managed the watch repair department, reportedly smuggled 644 high-end watches out through the mail room over the course of more than a year.

The Post reports that Bancroft admitted he purchased watches from Nieves monthly (20 at a time) and sold them through his wife’s eBay account.

The case was investigated for more than a year by the Monroe Police Department with assistance from the FBI.

Read the full story at the Connecticut Post here.

Image via Shutterstock

Have a news tip? Email Vincent.salzo@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.