Rochester, N.Y. — Shabon Banks, 42, of Gates, was sentenced Tuesday to 5 1/3 years in prison for his role in a large-scale retail theft ring in the Rochester area, according to the U.S. District Attorney for the Western District of New York.
Banks, previously convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, worked with a group of serial larcenists, including Amanda Reeves and Chad Lewis, to steal new in-box merchandise from several stores on a weekly basis between December 2021 and October 17, 2024. The stolen goods were sold to New York Gold Diamond Pawn Shop in Greece, owned by Dominic Sprague and managed by James Civiletti, at a fraction of their retail value. The pawn shop then sold the items on eBay for significant profits.
Authorities reported that Banks led police on two high-speed chases in 2022 and 2024, which were called off due to the danger posed to other drivers.
In total, the group sold 37,936 stolen items to the pawn shop across more than 670 transactions, earning $290,000 while causing $1.16 million in losses to retail stores.
Earlier, Civiletti and Lewis were sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to related charges in February. Civiletti also received one year of probation in August 2024 for conspiring to run an illegal gambling operation in Rochester from 2019 to 2021. Reeves and Sprague have accepted guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
