Bay Area man gets one year in prison for $311,118 theft from sporting goods store

The defendant is a former employee of the store who slowly stole and re-sold goods over time.

SAN FRANCISCO — The former employee of a local sporting goods store was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing what amounted to $311,118 in goods, which he resold on eBay, court records show.

Kent Liew, 39, stole items while working at the Sports Basement in San Francisco over a six-year period that ended in July 2023, according to court records. In addition to the one-year prison sentence, Liew has been ordered to repay the business in full and serve a three-year supervised release term.

Liew’s lawyer wrote in a sentencing memo that Liew was trying to make up for a high-interest loan he took out to support a business venture, and that he’s “extremely remorseful” for the theft. He got a job as a valet attendant in San Bruno to pay off his debt to the store, Liew’s lawyer added.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup handed down the sentence in late May and ordered Liew to report to prison this month, records show.