Two Philadelphia pawn shop operators are facing federal charges for allegedly selling nearly $20 million worth of items stolen on the eBay page for one of their stores.
Larry Leonard, 60, and Nathaniel Leonard, 68, who are cousins, are accused of using their three pawn shops to purchase goods stolen from retail stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy and CVS. They then allegedly sold those items on the eBay page for their Society Hill Loan pawn shop on South Street.
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The Leonards allegedly used two of their stores – K&A Money Loan Pawnbrokers in Kensington and Lou's Jewelry and Pawnshop in Wilmington, Delaware – to purchase stolen goods from two suppliers.
One group of suppliers, known as "boosters," stole new items from stores in the Philadelphia region, including The Home Depot, Lowe's, Rite Aid and Safeway, prosecutors said. The other, known as "mooks," purportedly stole bulk quantities of merchandise from stores throughout the country.
The stolen goods then were transported to Society Hill Loan and listed for sale, prosecutors said. The Leonards allegedly sold more than $19 million of stolen products online from November 2019 to December 2023.
Larry Leonard allegedly used some of the money to pay off $120,000 in credit card bills from December 2022 to April 2023.
The Leonards each were charged by indictment with conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods in interstate commerce, and interstate transportation of stolen property. Larry Leonard also is charged with money laundering.
Larry Leonard faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted; Nathaniel Leonard faces a maximum sentence of 15 years.