Morrisville Pawn Shop Owner Pleads In $700K Theft Ring

MORRISVILLE, PA — The owner of pawn shops in Levittown and Morrisville has pleaded guilty for his role in what prosecutors call a theft ring in which more than $700,000 in merchandise was stolen to resell.

Michael Stein, 36, of Langhorne, and one of his employees, 29-year-old Brian Jancia, were arrested in March 2018. Stein pleaded guilty to corrupt organization charges and receiving stolen property, both felonies, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

Stein was the owner of Levittown Quick Cash Trading Post and Morrisville Loan & Pawn.

According to prosecutors, Stein and Jancia were part of a scheme in which a team of "boosters" stole merchandise from national chain stores then pawned it for resale.

They say employees at the two pawn shops purchased roughly 5,000 stolen items at one-third of their retail value from professional thieves who stole them from stores. Last year, four of Stein's employees and 27 people accused of being professional thieves were arrested as well.

According to charges in the case, Stein and his employees took advantage of people suffering from substance abuse issues, using them to steal as part of the scheme. The pawn shops would then sell the unopened, brand-new merchandise on eBay or other online sites at full value.

"These defendants ran a scheme to profit off of those struggling with substance use disorder and take advantage of the opioid crisis ravaging Pennsylvania," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. "The companies they targeted faced significant financial loss, which was passed on to consumers in our Commonwealth. My office is holding them accountable for the despicable enterprise they operated in Bucks County."

Jancia plead guilty to receiving stolen property in the case.

The arrests were the result of a year-long investigation by Falls Township Police, the Bucks County District Attorney's office and other agencies, prosecutors said.

Stein will be sentenced in the case at a later date as part of a cooperation-based plea agreement.