ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609300076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FAIRFAX
SOURCE: Associated Press
A husky film buff was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for smuggling over $4,000 worth of videos out of a suburban movie rental store in his clothing.
Circuit Judge J. Howe Brown, Jr. called Tyrone J. Wiggins a con artist before imposing the maximum sentence for the felony charge of receiving stolen property.
``He always had an excuse,'' Brown said.
Wiggins and his lawyer, Gerald Curran, asked Brown to suspend the jail sentence and release Wiggins from prison, saying he needed to raise his three children.
``I've changed,'' Wiggins said as he looked out at several friends in the courtroom. ``I know I have to raise my family.''
But prosecutor Kathryn Swart argued for tough treatment. She said Wiggins had been convicted seven times for theft since 1983.
``He isn't exactly a law-abiding citizen,'' Swart said. ``He has been a headache in our system.''
Wiggins was known as one of the best customers at Crosspoint Video in Lorton, even as he was routinely stealing a few videos at a time out of the store.
Wiggins rented the store's bargain movies so often he was nicknamed ``the 99-cent man,'' store manager Samuel Hahn said. He would often discuss movies with employees, Hahn said after Wiggins' arrest.
Police found 69 tapes belonging to Crosspoint in Wiggins' home.
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