Dennis G. Russell, Stolen Goods Conspiracy, Missouri 2023

A Kansas City, Mo., pawn shop owner was sentenced in federal court for engaging in a $744,000 scheme to fence more than 14,500 stolen items and sell them on eBay. Dennis G. Russell, 66, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison without parole for his role in the scheme.

Russell admitted that he participated in a nearly five-year-long conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 27, 2021, to purchase items he knew had been stolen from various retail locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, then sell those items on eBay. The stolen items included robot vacuum cleaners, textbooks, Roku and Google Chromecast television streaming devices, and Crest Whitestrips.

Russell shipped approximately 14,672 stolen items across state lines, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $744,222. The scheme continued even during the coronavirus pandemic, with Russell selling 7,089 stolen items on eBay in 2020 and receiving $324,842 in gross proceeds.

According to court documents, Russell continued his scheme despite being provided with stolen items by known boosters who stole them from retail locations such as Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, and Walgreens. Russell would then post the stolen items for sale on eBay, using one of two accounts, and ship them to purchasers in numerous other states.

Russell only stopped his illegal conduct after a federal search warrant was executed at National Pawn, the pawn shop he owned, and he was served with a target letter. On Oct. 21, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at National Pawn and seized 3,400 items, which Russell and National Pawn do not contest were stolen property and which have been forfeited to the government.

The court also ordered Russell to pay a $100,000 fine and to forfeit to the government $744,222, which represents the proceeds obtained from the conspiracy. Rison of KC, the parent company of National Pawn, has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Under the terms of that agreement, the business admits to the criminal conspiracy and accepts responsibility for the acts of its officers and employees.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Heberle, Matthew Wolesky, and Anthony Brown. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Russell's exact real full name is Dennis G. Russell, and he is a resident of Kansas City, Mo. The exact criminal charges against him are conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines. The crime date is from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 27, 2021. The exact date of sentencing is not specified in the article, but it took place in 2023. The sentence or outcome is 20 months in federal prison without parole, a $100,000 fine, and to forfeit to the government $744,222. The dollar amounts where applicable are $744,000, $744,222, and $324,842.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/pawn-shop-owner-sentenced-744000-scheme-sell-over-14000-stolen-items-online