New Hampshire Pawn Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Transporting $750,000 in Stolen Goods Across State Lines, Faces Up to 10 Years
SOMERSWORTH, Strafford County, New Hampshire — Local pawn shop owner Michael Smith pleaded guilty in federal court on October 28 to interstate transportation of stolen goods, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Erin Creegan announced.
Smith, 60, of Lebanon, Maine, owns State Line Pawn at 77 High Street in Somersworth. Prosecutors say he bought stolen goods from retail thieves for cash at 15% to 25% of fair market value, then resold them above his purchase price through websites such as eBay and his own shop, shipping them to other states; between 2018 and 2026, the stolen goods he bought and resold were worth $750,000. The FBI searched the shop on June 17, 2026, and between 2024 and 2026 investigators made multiple controlled sales to him; at times he gave informants a "wish list" asking them to steal items such as generators, vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers.
The charge carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Chief U.S. District Judge Samantha D. Elliott set sentencing for February 3, 2027.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Wikimedia Commons 共享资源图片（John Phelan 摄，授权：cc by-sa 3.0）。Image via Wikimedia Commons (by John Phelan, license: cc by-sa 3.0).
