Deputies raid Brighton pawnshop and seize $200K to $300K in stolen merchandise

Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was originally published online in April. The original article quoted a sheriff’s deputy as saying a previous pawnshop at the location, Mega Pawn, had also been shut down. The county did deny Mega Pawn’s license application, but the Democrat and Chronicle has not independently confirmed the reason(s) why Mega Pawn ceased to operate.

Authorities seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise from a Brighton pawnshop Tuesday.

Monroe County sheriff's investigators and officers from the Rochester Police Department executed a search warrant at Mr. Deals pawnshop, 2862 West Henrietta Road, at 1:23 p.m. and confiscated between $200,000 and $300,000 worth of stolen merchandise, Sgt. John Watson said.

The new and boxed property included pet supplies, pet vitamins, tools, electronics, printer ink cartridges and over-the-counter medication, deputies said. The raid came after a six-month investigation.

Store owner Marcus Luciano, 29, of Greece and store manager John Lombardo, 22, of Greece were arrested and charged. Customers were using fraudulent identification cards and Luciano and Lombardo allegedly knew the IDs were fraudulent, Watson said.

Luciano was charged with two counts of third-degree possession of stolen property and two counts of first-degree falsifying business records, each felonies, and two counts of fourth-degree attempted possession of stolen records, a misdemeanor.

Lombardo was charged with three counts of first-degree falsifying business records and third-degree attempted possession of stolen property, each felonies, and with three counts of fourth-degree attempted possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor.

"Through our investigation, we were able to prove that they willingly and knowingly took in stolen property and weren't checking the IDs properly," Watson said.

They were also charged with numerous Monroe County pawnbroker and second-hand dealer infractions, deputies said. More charges could be pending, Watson said.

"It suggests that it's coming directly from a retail location and coming right into the pawnshop," Watson said.

He added, "This is a challenge we run into with a lot of pawnshops, which is why we have the different laws that we have in place that say they have to accept a valid ID, and things that they take in, they have to put into (an online database) that the sheriff's office and other law enforcement can monitor."

Watson said the final tally of stolen items will most likely be much higher than the initial estimate released by deputies. Authorities filled two large box trucks with stolen merchandise from the raid, he added.

He said employees at Mr. Deals allegedly sold many of the stolen items through online retailers like eBay. A sign on the business door read, "Closed. We apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely, the Mr. Deals family."

Sheriff Todd Baxter thanked Home Depot and Rochester police for working together in this investigation. Watson said this practice has a "trickle-down effect into the nationwide opioid epidemic."

“Today’s arrest sends a strong message that law enforcement officers will not tolerate the malicious acts of theft from retail locations and/or trafficking of stolen property,” Baxter said in a release. “These acts often enable victims of the current opioid epidemic facing our community and nation.”

Law enforcement can see "high volumes of the stolen items" and trace it directly to addicts, Watson said. Watson said the stolen property is "coming from people who have an addiction and are stealing to take things into the pawnshop to feed that addiction."

Watson said Home Depot employees helped identify some of the stolen goods. Employees also assisted in loading up the stolen goods onto trucks.

Another pawnshop at the same location, Mega Pawn, was previously shut down, Watson said.

"Hopefully this puts other pawnshops in the area on notice that we are paying attention and if they're not doing things correctly, we could be knocking on their door next," Watson said.

Luciano and Lombardo were arraigned Tuesday night in Brighton Town Court and remanded to the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

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