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Man Sentenced To Eight Years For Stealing From Lincoln Park Garages

(CBS) -- A Chicago man accused of stealing more than a million dollars' worth of other people's possessions was sentenced to eight years in prison Tuesday.

Jicheng Liu is a Chinese immigrant who has advanced degrees from elite institutions and once worked in private banking. His lawyer said when he lost his job in 2008 to make money he started reselling items his neighbors threw left on the curb, but eventually Lui graduated to stealing goods and packages from porches, garages and storage units. Police recovered more than a million dollars of worth merchandise.

In arguing for a tough sentence prosecutors told the judge that Liu terrorized victims on the internet who reported him to police and that he would post bogus negative comments about their business or set up fake sex websites using victims' home addresses.

But the defense argued that no one was physically hurt and all the victims could afford the losses.

"For a person to have a bicycle stolen or a stroller stolen, and thank God you have got two or three strollers and you have got two or three bicycles, is a lot different than someone who is poor and from a different neighborhood," said defense attorney Nick ALbukerk.

Because he is not a legal citizen, Liu can be deported after his sentence is completed.

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