Rochester pawn shop owner pleads guilty to selling more than a million dollars worth of stolen goods irs.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irs.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Between 2015 and 2019, the owner and employees at Rochester Pawn & Gold sold more than $12 million in stolen items purchased from shoplifters, many of whom were addicted to opioids, federal officials claimed.
The individuals were recruited to steal the items, officials said, adding that this type of fraud helped fuel the local opioid epidemic. In 2018 and 2019, 13 people who sold items to the pawn shop overdosed within five days. Three of the overdoses were fatal.
Eric Finnefrock, 29, of Rochester, one of three men accused in the scheme, pleaded guilty on April 28 to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce. Charges against store owner Thomas Nary and employee Ralph Swain are still pending.