Scrap King Gets Year in Jail for Theft

The case for Michael Conti, the self-proclaimed Scrap King of Cape St. Claire, came to an end on Thursday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

For his charges of theft, Conti was sentenced to two years in prison, with all but one year suspended, to be served in the Anne Arundel County Detention Center, according to Kristin Fleckenstein, spokeswoman for the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.

Following Conti's jail time, he was ordered to be on unsupervised probation for five years.

Conti pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary earlier this month, and agreed to provide a restitution check of $2,500 to the owners of stolen goods.

Conti was arrested in June for burglarizing a home in Cape St. Claire that was undergoing renovation and an adjacent home, according to a police statement. A refrigerator, tools and lawn equipment had been taken from the homes.

The state's attorney's office began its prosecution of the case in December, after several delays. 

The Cape St. Claire Improvement Association has a separate case against Conti for failing to follow its covenants that is currently pending. The case stemmed from Conti's refusal to remove scrap materials from his yard. Finding and selling that scrap had become his business, he said. He even created a business card for the endeavor, calling himself the Scrap King.

However, later in the year, amid the ongoing court discussions, the scrap in his yard was removed, and Conti put up his Chestnut Tree Drive home for sale in December.

According to Fleckenstein, Conti told the judge on Thursday that after his prison sentence, he would like to live with his children in Massachusetts.