Authorities say three pawn shops in Bloomington-Normal were part of an organized retail theft ring that allegedly bought and sold stolen goods still in their original packaging.
Seven people face criminal charges related to the alleged scheme, which authorities say operated between November 2023 and July 2024 out of four Monster Pawn locations in Bloomington, Normal, and Springfield, and Midwest Exchange in Bloomington. WGLT previously reported in July 2024 that the pawn shops had been raided by police, though prosecutors declined to say at the time what they were investigating.
They broke their silence Thursday by announcing charges against the Bloomington family that owns Monster Pawn and several employees.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force investigated the case, along with local police departments and other state and federal agencies. Raoul called it a “complex multijurisdictional investigation.”
“Organized retail crime takes many forms and is not limited to any one type of business or region of Illinois. Illinois residents should be able to trust businesses in their communities to operate in accordance with the law and that the goods and services customers purchase from businesses were procured legally,” Raoul said in a statement.
Raoul’s office charged Monster Pawn’s owners – Edwin Pierce, 65; Kathleen Pierce, 58; and their son, Everson Pierce, 28 – and four other people.
Prosecutors say the Pierce family and Monster Pawn shop managers and employees worked together to buy new stolen merchandise still in its original packaging — such as televisions, tools and video game equipment — then sold it online for more than what they paid.
Edwin and Everson Pierce face the most serious charges, including being the organizer of a continuing financial crimes enterprise, a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Among the four others charged in the case is a 57-year-old Normal man who is accused of theft and money laundering.
Edwin Pierce and two other men opened Monster Pawn in Normal in 2004, according to a history on the company’s website. They later expanded to other locations in Central Illinois.
Emails to Monster Pawn and Edwin Pierce's lawyer seeking comment were not immediately returned Thursday night.
Charges were filed in Sangamon County. Assistant Attorney Generals Gregg Gansmann and Thomas Darman are prosecuting the cases for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
Raoul says the Organized Retail Crime Task Force is the first statewide, public-private collaboration of its kind in Illinois and is designed to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces, law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys dedicated to targeting organized retail crime enterprises.
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