Janesville man pleads not guilty to $2 million copper theft
Photo 
Steven R. Stoikes
JANESVILLE — A Janesville man pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he stole more than $2 million worth of copper tubing from his former employer.
Steven R. Stoikes, 43, is charged with five counts of felony theft. Investigators think Stoikes was ordering copper pipe that wasn’t needed for jobs or for jobs that didn’t exist while he was in a supervisory position at Butters-Fetting of Janesville. Stoikes sold the pipe to recycling centers, according to the criminal complaint filed in December in Rock County Court.
Stoikes had been selling scrap metal to the recycling company for seven years. Investigators were focusing on sales between January 2010 and July 2012, according to the criminal complaint.
Stoikes on Monday waived his right to a preliminary hearing. A court date has not been set. Stoikes is free on a $2,500 signature bond, according to court documents. He faces $125,000 in fines or 50 years in prison.
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