Thieves! Be careful what you steal because even a tooth pick could send you to jail in some places.

A Maryland man convicted of stealing more than 2,600 aluminum carts from the Postal Service and selling them for scrap has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Aaron Howard, 53, of Brooklyn, Maryland, was also ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution at sentencing Wednesday, in federal court in Baltimore.

According to evidence presented to the court, Howard, and another man stole the carts in Capitol Heights, painted over post office markings and sold more than 383,000 pounds of scrap aluminum to Maryland recyclers.

According to a commenter, some of these metal thieves get away with it just like the car towing crooks get away with exorbitant towing charges on the high way. Neither is policed, and they both should be. Just look at all the copper wire stolen from buildings, light poles, etc.

Every scrap dealership knows exactly how the thieves got the copper and yet, only a handful are caught. Remember people are still stealing manhole covers in Lagos, some cutting off aluminum barricades on bridges. Even water pipe are being vandalized.