Legal Definitions - redubber

A redubber is a historical legal term referring to an individual who acquired stolen textiles or fabrics and then significantly altered them—for example, by redyeing, cutting, or repurposing—with the specific intent of making the original stolen items unrecognizable and untraceable. This act was a method of concealing the theft and facilitating the resale of the illicitly obtained property.

• Example 1: A thief steals a large bolt of expensive, uniquely patterned silk fabric from a textile merchant. A "redubber" then purchases this stolen silk at a significantly reduced price. To avoid detection, the redubber immediately dyes the entire bolt a completely different, solid color and then cuts it into smaller pieces suitable for making scarves or garment linings, effectively erasing its original identity.

  Explanation: This illustrates a "redubber" because the individual acquired stolen cloth and then fundamentally changed its appearance (redyeing and cutting) to make it unrecognizable and difficult to trace back to the original theft.

• Example 2: A quantity of high-quality wool blankets, identifiable by a specific weave and a manufacturer's unique label, is stolen from a warehouse. A "redubber" purchases these stolen blankets. Instead of merely redyeing them, they meticulously unravel the wool from the blankets and then re-weave the yarn into new, plain fabric or use it to knit different garments, completely transforming the original items.

  Explanation: This demonstrates the "redubber" concept by showing how stolen goods (the blankets) are acquired and then so thoroughly altered (unraveled and re-woven/re-knitted) that their original form and identifying characteristics are destroyed, making them unrecognizable as the stolen blankets.

• Example 3: A shipment of designer denim fabric, identifiable by its unique selvedge edge and a specific factory wash, is stolen during transit. A "redubber" acquires this stolen denim. They then treat the fabric with harsh chemicals to strip its original wash, re-dye it a standard dark blue, and cut it into generic patterns for mass-produced workwear jeans, removing all traces of its designer origin.

  Explanation: This example shows a "redubber" acquiring stolen fabric and then employing multiple alteration techniques (chemical treatment, re-dyeing, and cutting) to erase its distinctive features and render it unrecognizable from the original stolen designer denim.