Top Dollar Pawn Shop owner arrested on 29 federal theft, money laundering indictments

Justin Reutter, The Pueblo Chieftain
·2 min read
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Top Dollar Pawn Owners Jack and Mischa Jargowsky and two others have been federally charged with theft, racketeering, and 27 counts of money laundering, court records show.

According to an indictment finding by an El Paso County grand jury, the Jargowskys, along with Daria and Walt Maurio, are accused of knowingly buying and selling products that had been stolen from retail stores by boosters.

A booster is a person who steals merchandise, usually from retail outlets, often working as part of a crew.

The alleged scheme dates back to at least 2018, according to the Fourth Judicial District indictment.

The defendants are accused of buying 27 stolen items from boosters and selling them either online or in their stores.

The items include a wide variety of tools, including two chainsaws, as well as one shotgun, Google Nest electronic items, one Apple Watch, and a wireless internet router.

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"Interviews with boosters and former employees detail that the defendants knew the items they were buying were stolen," the indictment said. "They used the laundered funds to continue to operate their business, buying more stolen property."

The indictment also states that "numerous controlled sales operations show that the defendants acknowledged and ignored any opportunity to obtain information about the new items they were buying from well-known boosters."

Top Dollar Pawn shops in Pueblo and Colorado Springs were raided Monday morning as part of the federal investigation. Search warrants were served by the Colorado Springs Police Department along with the FBI, Pueblo Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service.

All four defendants are being held on separate $50,000 bond.

Law enforcement officers were expected to remain at the four Top Dollar Pawn Shops for a couple of days as they complete their investigation, according to CSPD.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Top Dollar Pawn Shop owner arrested on 29 federal indictments