A Laramie police detective was honored Wednesday with a commendation from FBI director James Comey for his work in connecting a Laramie theft case to similar crimes allegedly committed by the same people across 11 states.

Detective Matt Leibovitz was recognized for his work on a diversion theft case, which typically involves a person distracting a cashier while another person steals money out of the register.

Leibovitz began investigating the case in 2015 and ended up using both traditional and sophisticated investigative techniques to follow leads. Details of the case are a bit scarce, as it is an ongoing investigation, but Leibovitz provided FBI Special Agent John Lynch with the information necessary to pursue federal indictments.

“The theft that occurred in Laramie was an unusual theft, it was a high-dollar theft and we found it important to pursue this to make sure the victims received compensation back in the future,” Leibovitz said.

The investigation has resulted in two federal convictions so far. Authorities continue to pursue three other people who have been indicted in federal court.

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