Shabon Banks, a 42-year-old resident of Gates, New York, has been sentenced to 63 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. In addition to the prison term, Banks was ordered to pay $92,903.34 in restitution to several retailers including Best Buy, Home Depot, Kohls, Lowes, Macy’s, Target, and Walmart.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, Banks participated in a retail theft ring from December 2021 through October 17, 2024. She worked with others such as Amanda Reeves and Chad Lewis in stealing new-in-box merchandise from store shelves on a regular basis. The stolen goods were sold at a significant discount to the New York Gold Diamond Pawn Shop owned by Dominic Sprague and managed by James Civiletti.
The pawn shop would then resell these items online for higher prices. Over the course of the scheme, the pawn shop bought nearly 38,000 stolen items from Banks and her associates across more than 670 transactions and paid out about $290,000 to those involved in the thefts. Retailers suffered actual losses totaling approximately $1.16 million.
Banks also used another person’s identification during some transactions at the pawn shop and created risks during high-speed chases while attempting to evade law enforcement officers in both 2022 and 2024.
Other individuals involved—Reeves, Sprague, and Civiletti—have also been convicted for their roles.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations led by Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Internal Revenue Service under Special Agent-in-Charge Harry Chavis; Greece Police Department headed by Chief Michael Wood; and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Todd Baxter.
“This sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations…the Internal Revenue Service…the Greece Police Department…and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.”
