New York Attorney General Letitia James announced late last week that her office had convicted 36 members of an organized retail crime ring, including its leader, Roni Rubinov.
James’ office said Rubinov and the ring he oversaw stole, then resold, millions of dollars’ worth of goods in the New York City area between 2017 and 2022. During an investigation, the attorney general’s office’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) retrieved over $3.8 million worth of stolen goods, more than $300,000 and over 550 stolen gift cards from Rubinov.
Related Stories
James said the ring negatively impacted city residents and retailers alike.
“This crime ring organized bands of shoplifters to rob stores throughout our city, putting both businesses and everyday New Yorkers in danger,” James said in a statement. “Rubinov and his associates ran a massive scheme to steal millions of dollars of goods and resell them online for big profits, but our investigation has brought them to justice. I thank the NYPD and all our law enforcement partners for their hard work to keep our communities safe.”
James’ office said the goods and gift cards stolen by Rubinov and associates Yuiry Khodzhandiyev and Rafik Israilov came from retailers across New York City, including Macy’s, CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Lowe’s.
After stealing the items and gift cards, Rubinov’s team would take the goods to Rubinov’s New Liberty Loans Pawn Shop and Romanov Gold Buyers, where employees Akasya Yasaroglu, Lyudmila Yushuvayev, Zamira Shaganova, Erica Zambrano and Ramdass Ramkissoon would buy them, then resell them on eBay. They did so via a digital storefront called Treasure-Deals-USA, the attorney general’s announcement noted.
James’ office said the goods would then be stored at the two store locations, both located in midtown Manhattan. Fathi Negadi, another of Rubinov’s associates would then transport items to a stash house or Rubinov’s home, both of which are in Fresh Meadows, Queens. At either of the Queens sites, other associates would itemize, record and arrange the items, posting them on the Treasure-Deals-USA site for sale. If a consumer purchased an item, Negadi would transport that good back to Rubinov’s pawn shop to be packaged up and sent out to the consumer.
Once Rubinov turned a profit from his eBay sales, he put about 60 percent of the proceeds back into the business. According to the attorney general’s office, “Rubinov and his employees reinvested funds for various illicit business expenses, such as cash withdrawals which paid boosters for stolen property, payments made to Rubinov’s employees, and marketing campaigns.” The funds further allowed Rubinov’s ring to resell stolen property, officials noted.
Rubinov was handed an enterprise corruption conviction, which will see him spending two and a half years to seven and a half years in state prison. To date, he has forfeited $2.1 million, but will be required to pay a further $3.1 million in restitution. Each of Rubinov’s 35 crime ring members, as identified by investigators, also saw convictions—on varying degrees. Some will serve sentences in state prisons, while others will remain on probation or pay restitution.
James and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said the crime ring was investigated and caught because of collaboration between private and public entities.
“This was a large-scale, organized theft operation that deeply affected New York City businesses and residents, especially those still struggling to recover from the pandemic,” Tisch said in a statement. “These convictions and sentences underscore the NYPD’s commitment to holding accountable any network that exploits vulnerable communities for profit.”
