Ocean County Grand Jury Quickly Convicts Pawn Shop Owners Of Receiving Stolen Property

An Ocean County Grand Jury has convicted a brother-sister team of two counts of receiving stolen property and dealing in stolen property in their family-owned pawn shops in Berkeley and Toms River, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

It took the jury only a few hours to find Michael Bucca, 46, Beachwood and Malissa Bucca, 39, Nutley guilty, said Al Della Fave.

Both siblings could face up to five years in state prison. The tentative sentencing date is Aug. 26, he said.

Both are part of a family-owned pawn shop called Quick Cash, with locations in Toms River and Berkeley Township. They were accused of accepting stolen property, including Legos, food processors and coffee makers, between early January 2015 and February 2015. They were both arrested on Feb. 5, 2015, Della Fave said.

The investigation was the result of an alert by Ocean County Prosecutor’s Regional Automated Property Information Database (RAPID) system. This is an internet data base system in which all Ocean County pawnshops are mandated to report incoming purchases of merchandise.

This case marks the system's first successful arrest and prosecution, Della Fave said.

“This system is a robbery or burglary victim’s best chance at finding justice and recovering their stolen property," Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said. "It shuts down Ocean County as a place where thieves can anonymously profit from their ill-gotten merchandise.”

Toms River Police Detectives Tom DiMichele, Roger Hull and Robert O'Neill, with assistance from Ocean County Prosecutor Detective Taryn Ritacco-Schwartz, worked the investigation to secure the convictions. The case was prosecuted by Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Sheehan and Assistant Prosecutor Ashley Tito.