(WNY News Now) – ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Three individuals have pleaded guilty for their roles in a large-scale retail theft operation that resulted in over $1.1 million in losses, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced.
Amanda L. Reeves, 40, and Chad Lewis Jr., 20, both of Greece, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. They each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Co-defendant James Civiletti, 34, also of Greece, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, from December 2021 to October 2024, Reeves and Lewis conspired with co-defendant Shabon Banks and others to steal new, unopened merchandise from retail stores on a near-daily basis. The stolen goods were then sold to the New York Gold Diamond Pawn Shop, owned by co-defendant Dominic Sprague and managed by Civiletti, for significantly less than their retail value.
Investigators found that the pawn shop resold these stolen items on eBay, making substantial profits. Over the course of the scheme, the shop purchased nearly 38,000 stolen items from Reeves and other conspirators on more than 670 occasions, paying out approximately $290,000. However, the actual retail losses to victimized stores amounted to about $1.16 million.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the Greece Police Department, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing for Reeves and Civiletti is pending, while Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2025, before Judge Wolford.
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