Fort Lauderdale, FL – Seven suspects were arrested on Tuesday in connection with a multi-year racketeering operation that defrauded major retailers across Florida, costing them millions in stolen merchandise.
The investigation centers around U.S. Pawn, a pawn shop with locations in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, and its owner, Igor Melomed, 46, who is accused of orchestrating the operation.
According to detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), employees at U.S. Pawn paid thieves, or “boosters,” to bring in stolen goods. The items—ranging from over-the-counter medications to electronics, tools, and health products—were still in sealed boxes from major retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Home Depot, and Walmart. These stolen items were then resold through online marketplaces.
The investigation began in 2022, and in December 2023, authorities served search warrants at U.S. Pawn locations, seizing over 50 pallets of stolen goods valued at more than $750,000. The scale of the theft operation was staggering, with some boosters even making multiple trips to pawn the stolen merchandise in a single day.
The following suspects were arrested and face various charges, including racketeering and dealing in stolen property:
Igor Melomed, 46 – 1 count of racketeering
Marie Turene, 34 – 1 count of racketeering, 1 count of dealing in stolen property
William LaCroix, 58 – 1 count of racketeering
Lyndon Johnson, 37 – 1 count of racketeering, 3 counts of dealing in stolen property
Edward Ibragimov, 39 – 1 count of racketeering
Kevin Gilyard, 37 – 1 count of racketeering, 1 count of dealing in stolen property
Luis Bustos Diaz, 36 – 1 count of racketeering
Natalia Kudelina, 49 – 1 count of dealing in stolen property
Natalia Khodyreva, 40 – 2 counts of dealing in stolen property
The investigation is ongoing, and detectives continue to work with retailers to address the widespread theft problem.
Retailers like CVS and Walmart have long been targets of organized retail theft, and BSO is emphasizing the importance of cooperation between law enforcement and businesses to tackle this growing issue.
