ULSTER COUNTY, NY — Chase Bunt, 33, has been sentenced to one year in jail after being convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree for his role in a massive New York City retail theft ring dismantled by state authorities.
Bunt was one of 36 individuals convicted in connection to the criminal enterprise led by Roni Rubinov, which operated between 2017 and 2022, targeting numerous NYC retailers.
The organized ring stole goods and gift cards, which were funneled through Rubinov’s Manhattan pawn shops—New Liberty Loans and Romanov Gold Buyers—before being sold online through an eBay storefront.
Authorities recovered:
$3.8 million in stolen merchandise
Over 550 stolen gift cards
More than $300,000 in cash
Rubinov, the ringleader, was sentenced to up to 7.5 years in prison, and was ordered to:
Forfeit $2.1 million
Pay $3.1 million in restitution
The operation also involved illegal EBT card transactions and the reinvestment of illicit profits to sustain the criminal business.
The convictions followed a multi-year investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force in coordination with the NYPD.