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Greece pawn shop pulled in over $2M from retail theft scheme, federal prosecutors say

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Greece pawn shop pulled in over M from retail theft scheme, federal prosecutors say

Two Rochester men are accused of buying and reselling thousands of stolen items out of their Greece pawn shop, earning them nearly $2.4 million over three years. U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced the arrest of six people Thursday afternoon involved in the alleged retail theft ring.

Federal prosecutors said four of the suspects ― Shabon Banks, Amanda Reeves, Chad Lewis Jr. and Chanc Lewis ― sold nearly 38,000 new, in-box items to New York Gold Diamond and Pawn on Stone Road in Greece, visiting the shop on a near daily basis over three years. Prosecutors said altogether, the four were caught on video surveillance stealing from stores like Target, Kohl’s and Home Depot 111 times.

The pawn shop’s owners, Dominic Sprague and James Civiletti, paid them $290,000 for the goods ― and then flipped the items on eBay for a significant profit, prosecutors said. Sprague and Civiletti were also indicted in an illegal gambling ring case last year.

All six suspects face several charges, including wire fraud, transportation of stolen goods in interstate commerce and money laundering.

How did police uncover pawn shop theft ring in Greece?

Law enforcement officials said they discovered the retail theft ring after monitoring a website known as LeadsOnline. The Town of Greece code requires pawn shop owners to record what they buy from the public to help police easily identify stolen items. Police review the receipts, which are supposed to include available serial numbers and photos of the items, and try to match them to descriptions of reported thefts.

In late 2023, Greece Police noticed New York Gold Diamond and Pawn had an “unusually high” amount of reports, prosecutors said. When they looked closer at the receipts, they found vague descriptions and distant, low-quality photos of large piles of goods, making it hard to clearly identify what was purchased.

The high number of items purchased from the four individuals also raised suspicion among law enforcement.

The yearlong investigation involved the Greece Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service.

Law enforcement: Consequences of retail theft rings trickle down into our neighborhoods

Ross said the impact of coordinated retail thefts goes beyond petty shoplifting. It can force retailers to raise their prices or shut their doors completely in some communities.

Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said the thefts fuel other community issues like crime and addiction.

Prosecutors last year arrested two pawn shop owners also in Greece, saying they preyed on the addiction issues of serial shoplifters to get rich. In that case, one individual who was routinely selling stolen goods to the pawn shop overdosed twice in one month.

“You’ve got to think about where all of this profit is going,” Baxter said. “If these boosters are out there and some are addicted, where are they taking their money to? Maybe to fuel their addiction. And where is the crime and violence occurring? Around that addiction and around drug trade. This is all related.”

— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on police accountability, government surveillance and how individuals are impacted by violence. Follow her on Twitter @kaylacanne and @bykaylacanne on Instagram. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.

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