The former owner of a pawn shop in Greece who authorities said admitted playing a role in an organized retail theft ring has been sentenced by a federal judge to 60 months in prison.
The sentence for Dominic Sprague, 42, of Greece, follows an earlier plea agreement with prosecutors in which he admitted to conspiracy to transport stolen goods. He was the owner of New York Gold Diamond Pawn Shop, which is now closed.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York handled the case. Prosecutors said that Sprague, his store's manager James Civiletti, and three individuals engaged in a conspiracy to sell stolen goods.
The three individuals stole new-in-the-box items from stores on a weekly to daily basis and sold the goods to the pawn shop for a fraction of their retail value, according to prosecutors. The shop then resold the items on ebay at higher prices, yielding profits.
The retailers incurred losses of about $1.2 million, according to prosecutors.
Civilietti and the three other individuals — Amanda Reeves, Shabon Banks, and Chad Lewis Jr. — previously pleaded guilty last May. Reeves is awaiting sentencing, Banks was sentenced to 63 months in prison, and Lewis and Civiletti were each sentenced to 14 months, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
