Businessman: Serial thief stole $200K in quarters from vacuum machines

A Virginia businessman tells FOX 5 the same theft suspect has stolen tens of thousands of dollars in quarters from the coin-operated vacuum machines he owns in two states and the District.

Tahir Muneer says he has surveillance video of many of the thefts. The man is seen breaking into vacuum machines across multiple gas stations and breaking the locks to the coin drawers. In some cases, video shows the man using power tools to pry open the machines.

Muneer says in each instance, he contacts police, who often show up too late to catch the suspect.

The Prince George's County State's Attorney Office confirms the suspect has been charged in several of the incidents, but they had to drop charges for lack of evidence. They claim Muneer had not provided them with the video evidence.

He says he did send prosecutors that video, but they wrote back they had not received it. Muneer says he offered at that point to bring it in and was told it was too late.

On Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the State's Attorney Office said if they are provided the videos, they may be able to reopen the cases.

Muneer says he has installed several thousand dollars' worth of new locks on many of the vacuum machines, but cannot afford to replace all the locks at the 150 locations he operates throughout Maryland, Virginia and the District. He also says emptying the coin drawers nightly would also cost him too much money.

He says he wants local police and prosecutors to do their jobs and seek justice on his behalf.

"He just comes whenever he feels like it," said Muneer. "He comes and breaks and takes whatever he wants and just [goes] on his way."