May 14, 2026
Street View/Google Maps
Larry Leonard, 62, pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme that involved selling stolen goods out of the former Society Hill Loan pawn shop on South Street and two other pawn shops. His cousin, Nathaniel Leonard, 70, pleaded guilty last year. The stolen items generated more than $19 million in sales on eBay, federal prosecutors say.
One of the owners of the former Society Hill Loan pawn shop on South Street pleaded guilty this week to selling $19 million in stolen items through his eBay store and two other shops in Philly and Wilmington, federal prosecutors said.
Larry Leonard, 62, and his cousin Nathaniel Leonard, 70, were charged in December 2024 after an investigation into how their pawn shops acquired and sold stolen goods from retail stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy and CVS. They also owned K&A Money Loan Pawnbrokers in Kensington and Lou's Jewelry and Pawnshop in Wilmington.
MORE: Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, a smaller version of the grocery store, to open on South Street
Larry Leonard pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods in interstate commerce, interstate transportation of stolen property, and three counts of money laundering. He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison and has a sentencing date scheduled for Aug. 25.
Nathaniel Leonard, the longtime operator of Society Hill Loan, pleaded guilty last August to his role in the scheme. His sentencing has been continued several times, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Thursday a new date has not been set. Leonard faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
From 2019 through 2023, persecutors said Larry Leonard purchased millions of dollars of stolen goods from thieves and people addicted to drugs. The items ranged from high-end electronics and power tools to electric toothbrushes and vacuum cleaners. Leonard paid the thieves a fraction of the retail cost of the goods in cash and then sold the items on the "societyhillloan" eBay store for profit.
The stolen goods were shipped to locations across the country from Society Hill Loan at 645 South St. Leonard also sold electronics directly to individual wholesalers, prosecutors said.
Leonard used proceeds from the stolen to goods to pay for a lavish lifestyle with his wife, including overseas trips, concerts, sports tickets and luxury items, prosecutors said. Leonard also used proceeds to pay off more than $120,000 in credit card bills.
The South Street shop, once a well-known spot for musicians seeking vintage guitars and other instruments, is no longer in business. The stores in Kensington and Wilmington also have shut down.
