New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the takedown of a massive retail theft operation in New York City, what was referred to as "Treasure Steals USA Operation" in which several coordinated rings of boosters were assisted in reselling millions of dollars in stolen goods.
According to the unsealed indictment, 41 people were charged for their roles in a coordinated theft operation of luxury clothing, electronics and drug store items that were then resold on eBay. Since 2017, the crime ring has sold more than $1,373,728 of stolen property.
The defendants are being charged with various counts of enterprise corruption, money laundering, criminal possession of stolen property, scheme to defraud and conspiracy.
During the three-year joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the NYPD’s Grand Larceny Division, law enforcement seized more than $3.8 million worth of stolen retail items from the enterprise’s alleged boss, Roni Rubinov; more than 550 stolen gift and cash cards; and more than $300,000 in cash.
OCTF and the NYPD seized the following stolen goods:
- More than 550 gift cards from approximately 60 different retailers, including Amazon, Home Depot, Walgreens, Visa, Apple iTunes, Modell’s, Lowe’s, Kmart, American Express, and Pottery Barn.
- Designer clothing, handbags, belts, and shoes and cosmetics
- Tools and electronics
- Over the counter medications
- Miscellaneous drug store items
Through electronic and physical surveillance, analysis of financial records, and other investigative tools, OCTF found that since 2017, Rubinov, Yuriy Khodzhandiyev and Rafik Israilov, Rubinov’s alleged managers, have been directing career larcenists (boosters) to steal merchandise and gift cards from retailers.
Rubinov and his managers then purchased the stolen goods for fractions of the retail price and resold them for profit on an eBay store called Treasure-Deals-USA.about:blank
The boosters brought stolen property to Rubinov’s New Liberty Loans Pawn Shop, located at 67 W 47th Street and to Romanov Gold Buyers Inc., located at 71 W 47th Street, Suite 402A. Rubinov's employees (Akasya Yasaroglu, Lyudmila Yushuvayev A/K/A “Lyudmila Yadegar” A/K/A “Ludi”, Zamira Shaganova, Erica Zambrano, and Ramdass Ramkissoon A/K/A “Paulie”) were given cash for the stolen property.
Rubinov stored the stolen goods at one of the locations in midtown Manhattan. It was then regularly transported by Fathi Negadi to Rubinov’s residence and Rubinov’s stash house, both located in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Ana Balaceanu, Fathi Negadi, Caroline Gallego, and Patrice Collins inventoried and organized the stolen property then posted the stolen property for resale on Rubinov’s Treasure-Deals-USA eBay store.
Once the posted items were purchased, they were transported back to 71 W 47th Street to be packaged and subsequently shipped to Rubinov’s eBay customers.
Additionally, OCTF and NYPD uncovered that Rubinov procured New York City Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and benefits from boosters in exchange for cash. Rubinov directed Khodzhandiyev, Yasaroglu, and Shaganova to verify whether the boosters’ personal EBT cards or accounts had active balances and to subsequently purchase the EBT benefits from the boosters in exchange for cash. Rubinov then used these EBT benefits to purchase groceries for his family.
The indictment, unsealed before New York Supreme Court Justice Juan M. Merchan, charged the following individuals with Enterprise Corruption, Money Laundering in the First Degree, and other crimes in relation to their involvement in the organized retail theft and fencing operation. Each defendant, if convicted, faces up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
Roni Rubinov, 42, Fresh Meadows, New York
Yuriy Khodzhandiyev, 39, Forest Hills, New York
Rafik Israilov, 56, Queens, NY
Akasya Yasaroglu, 26, New York, NY
Lyudmila Yushuvayev A/K/A “Lyudmila Yadegar” A/K/A “Ludi”, 46, Queens, NY
Erica Zambrano, 43, New York, NY
Fathi Negadi, 39, North Carolina
Caroline Gallego, 36, France
Ramdass Ramkissoon A/K/A “Paulie”, 64, Queens, NY
Zamira Shaganova, 33, Brooklyn, NY
Ana Balaceanu, 40, Queens, NY
Charles Harman, 58, Erie County, NY
In addition to the 12 individuals charged with Enterprise Corruption, the following 28 individuals are charged with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree, and various other crimes, in relation to their involvement in the organized retail theft and fencing operation. Each defendant, if convicted, faces up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
Patrice Collins, 67, New York, NY
Salimou Dabo, 36, Guinea
Jerard Iamunno A/K/A “Italiano”, 39, New York, NY
Lance Fair, 31, New York, NY
Cayla Roman, 23, New York, NY
Kathleen Ragusa, 42, New York, NY
Gregory Roosa, 49, New York, NY
Jordan Cavaliero, 39, New York, NY
Thomas Nicholas A/K/A “Tommy”, 33, New York, NY
Eveylon Ferguson, 33, New York, NY
Kevin Ruthenbeck, 35, New York, NY
David Higgins, 48, New York, NY
Justin Pepchinski, 43, New York, NY
Daniel Weber, 36, New York, NY
Patrick Casey, 41, New York, NY
Shawn Herald, 40, New York, NY
Shanon Winkler A/K/A “Shea”, 26, New York, NY
James Bilis A/K/A “Slim”, 32, Hudson County, NJ
Samantha Cotroneo, 30, Hudson County, NJ
Herman Ellis, 48, New York, NY
Chris Plamondon, 31, New York, NY
Joshua Dvorin, 33, New York, NY
Reagan Callihan A/K/A “Meagan”, 41, New York, NY
Sharif Warner, 45, Brooklyn, New York
Chase Bunt, 33, Ulster County, New York
Michael Morris, 26, Brooklyn, New York
Jabari Smith, 31, Brooklyn, New York
Alonzo Roberts, 30, Brooklyn, New Yorkabout:blank
Lastly, the following eight individuals are charged with Criminal Use of a Public Benefit Card in the First and Second Degree and Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree, in relation to their role in the EBT theft scheme. Each defendant, if convicted of these charges, faces up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.
Roni Rubinov, 42, Fresh Meadows, New York
Yuriy Khodzhandiyev, 39, Forest Hills, New York
Akasya Yasaroglu, 26, New York, NY
Zamira Shaganova, 33, Brooklyn, NY
James Bilis A/K/A “Slim”, 32, Hudson County, NJ
Justin Pepchinski, 43, New York, NY
Kathleen Ragusa, 42, New York, NY
Jacqueline Alessi, 34, Suffolk County, New York
The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney Brandi S. Kligman, with support from OCTF Legal Support Analyst Christine Cintron under the supervision of OCTF Downstate Deputy Bureau Chief Lauren Abinanti.
The charges against the defendants are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
