STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A jury this week found a Staten Island man guilty of attempted retail theft, following an incident last summer when police said he attempted to leave a ShopRite with unpaid charcoal and ice.
The defendant, Dennis Gambino, 47, of Woodrose Lane in Prince’s Bay, was arrested June 5 in connection with the incident that police said unfolded inside 985 Richmond Ave. in Graniteville.
Gambino, who is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 22 in Criminal Court, faces up to 90 days in jail. Going into trial, he was facing the possibility of a stiffer sentence, however, the jury acquitted him of petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
Defense attorney Amel Spahija declined to comment on the case.
Court records show his client has two ongoing cases on Staten Island for charges of aggravated harassment of family, misdemeanor assault and criminal contempt.
“Shamelessly passing all points of sale, the defendant brazenly attempted to steal multiple items of merchandise from a local ShopRite last year,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a statement this week.
In this Dec. 15 photo, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon speaks at the 54th annual menorah lighting at Staten Island Borough Hall. Owen Reiter
“Despite opinions to the contrary, retail theft is not a victimless crime, and it will not go unpunished here on Staten Island. The lawless behavior exhibited by this defendant and other larcenists who proudly pilfer from our borough’s businesses and retailers will not be tolerated.”
McMahon went on to thank members of the NYPD and Assistant District Attorneys Brigid Bianco and Russell Satin for their work in securing a conviction in the case.
Citywide crackdown
In this December 15 photo, NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger, right, the Staten Island borough commander, along with other members of the NYPD visited the Staten Island Mall in New Springville in December, to speak with shopkeepers about the department’s effort to reduce retail theft and overall crime in the mall during the holiday shopping season. (Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence)
The ShopRite conviction on Staten Island comes amid a crackdown citywide, after a surge in “organized” and “independent” retail crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, a 52-year-old “recidivist” from West Brighton took a guilty plea in exchange for a short prison stint, in connection with a retail theft in 2024 at Home Depot.
This past holiday season, officials noted a significant drop in retail thefts at the Staten Island Mall and elsewhere, as part of the same ongoing efforts by the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD and local business owners.
In the courtroom, district attorneys are now backed by new, statewide legislation that allows them to pursue felony assault charges when a retail worker is assaulted, and also to combine the value of stolen goods from different stores when filing larceny charges.