A former Romanian politician is now behind bars after stealing credit cards out of gym lockers at multiple fitness clubs in the Buffalo area.
Those credit cards were then used to buy electronics and feed his drug addiction.
George Piha, 51, of Queens, NY is a "serial thief" prosecutors say.
While people were working out at several fitness clubs and gyms in the Buffalo area Piha would go into locker rooms sometimes bypassing the front desk and break into lockers and steal only credit cards and then go out and buy high-end electronics racking up bills in excess of $95,000.
Piha stole from customers at the YMCA in Tonawanda and West Seneca. The Aquatic and Fitness Center in Tonawanda. And the LA Fitness in Clarence and Hamburg.
Erie County DA John Flynn says Piha became a U.S. citizen in the 1990s. And went back to Romania and got into politics. According to Flynn, Piha got into a car accident a couple years ago and became addicted to pain meds.
REPORTER: Why did he go from Romania to here?
"Apparently being a drug addict in Romania is not very good for your social status, it's not good here but apparently there is a significant social stigma to being a drug addict in Romania," Flynn said.
"His crime obviously rose to a sophistication level that I haven't seen quite frankly to support his drug habit," Flynn said.
Piha is facing some of the same charges in Bethlehem, NY that's in Albany County. Piha has been sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 2-6 years he's also been forced to pay back that $95,000 to the credit card companies.