The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has arrested and charged two owners of a Greece pawn shop who they allege resold large quantities of stolen items.
Juan Gabriel Diaz, 42, and Tolga Tevfik Turmen, 33, both of Greece, are accused of accepting sealed, new-in-the-box items that were stolen from retailers and paying a portion of the full retail price, according to the sheriff's office. They would then sell the items at a higher price for profit.
Deputies and officers with the Greece Police Department executed a search warrant at the Mt. Read Boulevard store, Rochester Jewelry and Tek, on Nov. 5. They seized 1,896 items that were allegedly stolen and which had a retail value of $65,977.63, according to the sheriff's office.
The items included power tools, hand tools, hardware, kitchenware, small appliances, office equipment, generators, and automobile accessories. Investigators also seized unspecified prescription drugs that the sheriff's office alleged were packaged for resale.
Diaz and Turmen were arraigned on several felony charges, including second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree falsifying business records, fourth-degree conspiracy, fourth-degree money laundering, and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. They were also charged with second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.
