(WNY News Now) – A Gates man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for his role in a multi-year retail theft scheme that caused over $1 million in losses to major national retailers.
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that 42-year-old Shabon Banks, of Gates, NY, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford also ordered Banks to pay $92,903.34 in restitution to several retailers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Target, and Walmart.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, Banks participated in an organized retail theft ring between December 2021 and October 2024. Prosecutors said Banks worked with several co-conspirators—identified as serial larcenists—to steal new, unopened merchandise from store shelves on a near-daily basis. The stolen goods were then sold at a steep discount to the New York Gold Diamond Pawn Shop, operated by co-defendant Dominic Sprague and managed by co-defendant James Civiletti…