Retail theft ring busted: Six charged with wire fraud, money laundering and more

ROCHESTER, NY – Six people have been arrested and charged with stealing millions of dollars from a retail theft ring.

U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced the arrest Thursday during a news conference in Rochester. The suspects are accused of the following:

• Wire transfer fraud
• Transportation of stolen goods in interstate commerce
• Money laundering
• Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
• Conspiracy of other alleged accounts

The suspects are Shabon Banks, Amanda Reeves, Chad Lewis Jr., Chance Lewis, Dominic Sprague and James Civiletti.

According to Ross, Banks, Reeves, Lewis and Lewis Jr. stole over $900,000 worth of products from retail stores and resold the goods at New York Gold Diamond Pawn for less than retail value. Then, Ross said, the other two suspects, Sprague and Civiletti, would sell the items on eBay for retail value.

The suspects sold more than 48,000 new, included items – generating $2.4 million in sales. The theft ring received more than $290,000 over the past three years.

Two of the suspects, Sprague and Civiletti, were also charged in 2023 in an illegal gambling ring case.

Photos of the shoplifting included in the criminal complaint:

The Greece Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the IRS Criminal Division were involved in the investigation.

Watch the full press conference:

As a result, the stolen stores, including Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s Walmart and Kohl’s, suffered significant financial losses. Ross says the theft has a direct impact on communities, causing stores to close and prices to rise.

Erin Keegan, special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Field Office, says retail crime is more than just petty shoplifting.

“The economic impact has become alarming,” Keegan said. “Professional thieves and organized crime gangs steal sought-after goods and then attempt to sell them either through backdoors and online marketplaces, or in many cases through seemingly legitimate storefronts operating in secret.”

The full criminal complaint: