The sprawling Monster Pawn store in downstate Bloomington is a friendly place to shop, proudly displaying a Fender guitar collection, and selling used merchandise ranging from $349 TVs to 50-cent comic books.
On a recent visit, no new, in-the-box items were observed among the merchandise for sale. That’s significant, because the Monster Pawn retail chain is at the center of a criminal case aimed at sending a message to Illinois shoplifters who just a few years ago were operating much too freely.
In 2022, the Illinois General Assembly approved legislation that defined the offense of “organized retail crime” and provided more tools for fighting it. Now this case involving Monster Pawn is putting the relatively new law to a large-scale test.
So far, so good.
Organized retail crime is the worst kind of shoplifting because it involves systematically stealing a lot of valuable stuff. According to criminal charges brought a year ago and fleshed out in more recent court filings, Monster Pawn is accused of operating a ring of “boosters.” Those were practiced thieves who would steal high-value items that, according to the filings, the chain would sell at its stores or online at a steep discount from the retail price — often under the banner, “Monster Deals.”
State investigators who raided the stores last year seized tens of thousands of dollars in new merchandise they believe was stolen at Monster Pawn’s direction, along with 674 pounds of silver coins and bars allegedly being used to launder proceeds. Among the items seized were tools, electronics, office supplies, sporting goods and video games — new and still in their boxes.
The investigators got invaluable help from the security departments at Walmart, Home Depot and Dick’s Sporting Goods, among other stores the alleged theft ring is accused of targeting. Home Depot alone estimated its loss of property to Monster Pawn at more than $1 million since 2019.
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Court filings provided an example of a power tool set that retails for $499. In a typical transaction, a pawn shop would pay a booster $150 for the stolen item, then sell it on its eBay page for $310, far below the legitimate retail cost. In some instances during the investigation, Home Depot and Walmart bought back stolen goods to confirm that they were indeed their property.
It’s important to remember that anyone accused of criminal activity is presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law. An attorney reportedly representing the family owners of Monster Pawn did not respond to requests for comment.
It’s also important to remember that despite their bad reputation, pawn shops can be a legitimate option for people who want to exchange their valuables for fast cash. Many shops work closely with local police. They use up-to-date technology to identify those selling to them and track serial numbers of high-end goods. Routinely fencing stolen items would be taking a big risk.
The risk of prosecution in Chicago and Illinois is much greater today than it has been in a long time. That’s a welcome change from 2016, when then-Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made it much harder to charge shoplifters with a felony crime.
Foxx declared that any charges should remain a misdemeanor unless the value of the stolen goods exceeded $1,000 or the alleged shoplifter had at least 10 prior felony convictions, both far more lenient than previous standards.
The brazen crime spree that followed saw crooks waltzing into stores and stealing whatever they wanted, as police and prosecutors looked the other way. Retailers were stuck putting toothpaste behind lock-and-key and ordering their clerks to stand back or risk potentially deadly confrontations. The thievery forced some stores to close, typically in neighborhoods that badly needed them.
Fortunately, no-nonsense Eileen O’Neill Burke replaced Foxx in December. She immediately reduced the monetary threshold for felony shoplifting and dumped the 10-felony minimum. In partnership with Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling, Burke’s tenure so far has been a godsend for beleaguered Cook County merchants, and we’re also pleased to see the state finally stepping up enforcement, too, using the 2022 law that Attorney General Kwame Raoul helped to champion.
This shoplifting crackdown is way overdue. Given the pandemic and online competition, brick-and-mortar retailers have had it rough in recent years, and “shrinkage,” as it’s known, cuts into earnings at practically every big chain. Stopping the thieves will make shopping safer for honest customers as well as store employees and help to keep prices down. It’s good to see Chicago and Illinois putting at least one ugly consequence of the pro-criminal Foxx era behind them.
This is the second piece in a summer series that explores Illinois outside of Chicago.
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