Burglary victim Wendy Kliment thought she got a lucky break when she found her stolen jewelry at a Fort Lauderdale pawn shop. Instead, she was asked to fork over $1,150 to reclaim her belongings.

"I feel like I'm being victimized twice," Kliment said Wednesday.

Even though a suspect was arrested for allegedly pawning the goods fraudulently, Florida law says pawn shops can recoup losses by charging victims to reclaim their possessions. Kliment hasn't paid, and is fighting to get her jewelry back at a court hearing this week.

"It doesn't seem right – I don't think I should have to pay anything to get back my memories," said Kliment.

For his part, pawn shop owner David Selzer said his biggest mistake was "being a nice guy" by showing Kliment the jewelry when she came searching for it the day after her home was ransacked on Valentine's Day. It's something he didn't have to do.

"I felt sorry for her," said Selzer. "I've been a crime victim myself. But why should I be out the $1,150 I paid for the jewelry? I've followed the law."

The gold jewelry — seven bracelets, three pairs of earrings, an eagle-shaped pendant and four unmatched earrings — were allegedly hocked by a neighborhood 18-year-old, who gave a thumbprint and signed an affidavit at Selzer's store vouching the goods weren't stolen.

Nobody has been charged in the burglary, with the Broward Sheriff's Office still analyzing fingerprints. But the suspect was charged with 20 criminal counts after detectives said they found him with other stolen items and 10 credit cards that weren't in his name. He has pleaded not guilty.

It used to be that police could retrieve stolen goods from pawn shop shelves and return them to victims. But that left pawnbrokers on the hook for the amount they paid to the sellers.

The local pawn industry successfully challenged the system through the courts in the late 1980s, and 15 years ago the Florida Legislature changed the law to favor pawn shops. That's the way it is in most states.

Although there are now strict computerized transaction reporting requirements that shops must share with local police, pawn brokers hold the upper hand when it comes to keeping disputed merchandise and being made whole.

If victims won't pay, they must go through an arduous process to get their possessions back.

"If we could afford the $1,100 we'd pay it, but we live paycheck to paycheck," said Kliment, a mother of three who works on the production line at Edco Awards & Specialties in Fort Lauderdale. Her husband is an auto mechanic. "We've got two mortgages, a 3-year-old in day care."

Her ordeal began five months ago when she returned to her Broadview Park home, in unincorporated Broward, to find a ransacked mess. Her jewelry case was empty, and the urn that contains the ashes of her premature baby was disturbed.

She lost a lifetime worth of sentimental belongings, including jewelry handed down from her late mother and gifts from her husband. She filed a police report, and detectives suggested she comb local pawn shops for fresh purchases.

She went into Gold-N-Pawn on Davie Boulevard and described some items. Selzer said it sounded familiar. He took out an envelope and opened it.

"She got all excited, said that's my stuff," Selzer said.

Kliment balked when Selzer he needed money to release the property. He explained that if she didn't pay within 30 days, the pawn shop could sell it or melt it down.

"The more I thought about it, the angrier I got," Kliment said.

After detectives arrested the man who allegedly pawned the merchandise, she decided to fight. She had police put a hold on the jewelry, and she went to county court and filed a motion to recover personal property unlawfully taken.

County Court Judge Linda Pratt will hear the case on Friday. On Wednesday, Selzer said he'd be willing to return the jewelry at no cost if Kliment can prove that it's hers.

That might be a tall task, considering she doesn't have receipts, the items don't have serial numbers and she's having trouble tracking down photos that show her wearing the items in question.

After the judge rules, the losing side can go after the fraud suspect for restitution if he's convicted.

Perhaps it's time for a new system: Shared pain by victims and pawn shops, with victims able to recover stolen items at 50 percent of the purchase price.

"That would be more fair," said Kliment. "But it still stinks to have to buy your own stuff back."

mmayo@tribune.com, 954-356-4508.