January 04, 2017
Pennsylvania State Police carried out a two-pronged raid on Wednesday against the owner of a pair of pawn shops implicated in a corrupt scheme involving organized retail theft.
Two Capital Cash Exchange locations, one in West Pottsgrove and one in Muhlenberg, were targeted by troopers out of Reading and Philadelphia as part of a lengthy probe into the activities of owner Nicholas Blanck, according to WFMZ.
At the time of Wednesday's raids, Blanck was being arraigned on charges that include corrupt organization, organized retail theft, receiving stolen property, knowledge that property is proceeds of illegal act and conspiracy.
Troopers were reportedly seen carrying items out of both locations and placing them in trucks to have their origins assessed. Representatives from retailers including Target, Lowe's and The Home Depot joined investigators to help identify property that may have been stolen from their store locations.
This is not the first time Blanck has run afoul of the law with his pawn shop business. In 2013, he was reportedly cited more than 2,600 times for violating an ordinance that requires pawn shop and secondhand store owners to file weekly transaction reports with local police departments.
