The final defendant facing charges in the Top Dollar Pawn money laundering case was sentenced to five years of probation at a hearing Tuesday despite continued protests that he was unaware of the crimes taking place at the business.
Each of the four defendants — Daria Mauro, Walt Mauro, Mischa Jargowsky and Jack Jargowsky — were arrested in 2022 and faced 29 charges, including a pattern of racketeering and money laundering.
On Tuesday, Jack Jargowsky appeared in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court for his sentencing hearing as the last defendant without a conclusion in their case.
Jack Jargowsky was found guilty of all 29 charges at his trial, which occurred in July.
Courts
Trial date postponed again for former Colorado Springs deputy DA, church leader accused of child sexual assault
- Zachary Dupontzachary.dupont@gazette.com
The defendants were accused of laundering money over four years at Top Dollar Pawn locations in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Investigators said the operation resulted in the transfer of more than $1.3 million in stolen goods.
Court records obtained by The Gazette allege Top Dollar Pawn employees knowingly accepted stolen goods still in packaging from “boosters” and would sell those items in their stores or on eBay at a profit. Some of the items still had the security tag attached.
Colorado law requires that pawnbrokers must be given a receipt of purchase on items still considered new and in packaging to confirm that these items were not stolen.
Pawnbrokers also are required to keep an electronic record of these items and the identification of the seller. Records allege that Top Dollar Pawn ignored both requirements.
Despite the guilty conviction, Jack Jargowsky continued to proclaim innocence at his sentencing hearing, stating to the court he never knew the business was being run illegally.
"I've been portrayed publicly as the worst of evils," Jack Jargowsky said. "I did not know the pawn shop was being run illegally."
Jack Jargowsky and his attorney, JosephKoncilja, both reasserted the claim made at trial that Jack Jargowsky was not heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of Top Dollar Pawn, and was ignorant to any illegal activities taking place in the business.
ProsecutorRachael Powell disagreed, claiming that Jack Jargowsky was deflecting blame and refusing to take accountability for crimes he was fully aware of.
"I'm getting pretty tired of the finger pointing," Powell said to the court during her statement. "It's an understatement to say Mr. Jargowsky benefitted from this."
Courts
Colorado Springs man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an infant, possessing child pornography
- Zachary Dupontzachary.dupont@gazette.com
Powell requested that the court sentence Jack Jargowsky to a term in Community Corrections, whileKoncilja argued that his client had already been punished enough and requested a sentence of supervised probation.
While Judge David Gilbert acknowledged that Jack Jargowsky was "shielded from responsibility more than anyone else," and even described him as a "good person," Gilbert ultimately did not agree with the claims made by the defense.
"You were one of the people who were moving these goods," Gilbert said. "The evidence to me suggests you were aware of it ... The jury saw that, I saw that."
As Gilbert gave his statement he continued to remark how the decisions that led to the criminal case were "always about the money."
Gilbert sentenced Jack Jargowsky to five years of supervised probation, and fined him $500,000.
"And now it's about money for the final time," Gilbert said prior to reading the sentence to the court.
Jack Jargowsky received the least harsh punishment of the other convicted Top Dollar Pawn defendants.
According to previous Gazette reporting, Walt Mauro was sentenced in June to five years in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of money laundering. Walt Mauro attempted to have his guilty plea revoked so he could go to trial, but Gilbert denied the request prior to sentencing.
Court records show that Mischa Jargowsky went to trial in February, was found guilty of three counts of money laundering and one count of pattern of racketeering, and was sentenced to eight years of community corrections. However, in a hearing in May, her sentence was postponed by Gilbert because of a continuing appeal. Court records show the appeal process is ongoing.
Daria Mauro's case was dismissed by prosecutors, according to Judge Gilbert at a previous court hearing.