Devin Tribunella, Wire Fraud, New York 2019

Devin Tribunella, the owner of Royal Crown Pawn & Jewelry in Rochester, N.Y., has been accused of running a massive theft scheme that involved selling stolen merchandise and committing wire fraud.

Rochester, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a civil forfeiture complaint has been filed in United States District Court for the Western District of New York seeking to forfeit assets which the government alleges that Devin Tribunella, 36, of Rochester, NY, obtained through fraud.

The complaint seeks the forfeiture of numerous assets, including a 2014 Rolls Royce, a 2014 Mercedes Benz, a 2008 Lamborghini, a 2015 Porsche 911, $148,025 seized from two PayPal accounts, $7,157.87 seized from Canandaigua National Bank, a men’s Rolex watch, a men’s Patek Phillipe diamond encrusted watch, and other high-end jewelry and vehicles.

The government alleges that Tribunella knowingly purchased stolen, new-in-box goods from individuals struggling with opiate addiction, who had been stealing merchandise from Rochester area retail stores. Tribunella would then re-sell the stolen goods on eBay and Amazon, shipping them to buyers, including those located outside of New York State.

Between January 1, 2017, and September 16, 2019, Tribunella and a co-defendant are accused of purchasing and re-selling $3,248,426.79 in stolen goods on eBay. According to the civil complaint, Tribunella used $2,995,949.55 of these illegal proceeds to purchase the above-referenced vehicles and jewelry, and to fund financial accounts and cash withdrawals.

This cycle of theft and re-sale has also resulted in Monroe County having some of the highest incidents of retail theft in the country, according to statistics maintained by nationwide retailers.

Tribunella was charged by criminal complaint on November 19, 2019, with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, selling and conspiring to sell stolen goods across state lines, engaging in financial transactions involving the proceeds of this unlawful activity, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the criminal charges, Tribunella faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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