Man sentenced For Stealing $200K Comic Books from CubeSmart

POW!

And just like that, a Waterbury, Conn. man will be spending two years behind bars for stealing a prized comic book collection valued at roughly $200,000 from a self-storage unit.

Saul Salazar, 37, pleaded guilty in court to conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny. Judge Kevin Russo handed down the sentence last week, following a plea agreement that calls for a 10-year term, suspended after two years served, plus five years of probation.

Assistant State’s Attorney Lawrence Scharpf explained that the victim, a Waterbury attorney, had stored hundreds of “extremely valuable” Golden Age comic books at a CubeSmart facility in Shelton, Conn., about 15 minutes from Waterbury. When he went to check on the unit in 2019, he discovered it had been broken into and more than 500 titles were gone — including early issues of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Captain America.

Weeks later, the victim spotted some of his missing comics for sale at a New Haven, Conn. shop. The store owner told him the books had been sold by Salazar and others for a fraction of their true value.

Police tracked Salazar down soon after. When Shelton officers pulled him over, they discovered the rest of the collection in his car. “All the items were ultimately recovered and returned,” Scharpf told the court.

Asked by Judge Russo if he agreed with the state’s account, Salazar replied, “Yes, your honor.”

The sentence will run concurrently with a four-year prison term Salazar is already serving on unrelated larceny and burglary charges stemming from an August 2024 incident.

Scharpf noted that the victim had been “very gracious” and did not object to the plea deal. With Salazar’s admission, charges against two co-defendants — James Wadsworth Sr. and his son, James Wadsworth Jr. of Ansonia — were dropped.

Kenneth Bunker, senior assistant state’s attorney representing the younger Wadsworth, said the family was relieved. “We appreciate the state using its discretion to evaluate the case and decide not to prosecute it further,” he said.

The investigation began in July 2019, when the theft was first reported. Police later learned Salazar rented a storage unit near the victim’s. Though he initially agreed to meet detectives, Salazar never showed. Hours later, officers stopped his car and found two bags of comics inside.

With the guilty plea now secured, the rare collection is back in its owner’s hands — and the man who tried to steal it is serving his time.