RLP NEWS
ROCHESTER – Two men from Rochester have been accused of buying and reselling thousands of stolen items through their Greece pawn shop, allegedly earning nearly $2.4 million over three years. U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced Thursday the arrests of six individuals tied to the suspected retail theft operation.
Federal prosecutors allege that four suspects — Shabon Banks, Amanda Reeves, Chad Lewis Jr., and Chanc Lewis — stole nearly 38,000 new, in-box items from stores like Target, Kohl’s, and Home Depot, selling them to New York Gold Diamond and Pawn on Stone Road in Greece. Surveillance footage captured the group stealing from these stores 111 times over three years, with visits to the pawn shop occurring almost daily.
The pawn shop’s owners, Dominic Sprague and James Civiletti, reportedly paid $290,000 for the stolen goods and then resold them on eBay for substantial profits. Both Sprague and Civiletti were previously indicted in an illegal gambling ring last year.
All six suspects now face several charges, including wire fraud, transporting stolen goods across state lines, and money laundering.
The retail theft ring was uncovered after law enforcement monitored the website LeadsOnline, which tracks transactions at pawn shops. Greece Police noticed an unusually high volume of reports from New York Gold Diamond and Pawn, with vague descriptions and low-quality photos of items that made identification difficult.
The yearlong investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Greece Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the IRS.
Law enforcement emphasized that the consequences of organized retail theft extend beyond financial losses for retailers. U.S. Attorney Ross warned that these crimes can lead to price hikes or store closures, while Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter linked them to broader community issues like addiction and violence. In a similar case last year, pawn shop owners in Greece were found exploiting individuals with addiction issues, with one seller overdosing twice in one month.
Sheriff Baxter highlighted the ripple effect of these theft rings, pointing to the connection between stolen goods, addiction, and other crimes in the community.