CONCORD, N.H. — The owner of a Somersworth pawn shop pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to buying goods from shoplifters and reselling them online and in his store, the U.S. attorney's office for New Hampshire said.

Michael Smith, 60, of Lebanon, Maine, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property. Chief U.S. District Judge Samantha D. Elliott scheduled sentencing for Feb. 3, 2027. The charge carries up to 10 years in prison.

Smith owned State Line Pawn in Somersworth, prosecutors said. According to the public record, he bought items from "boosters" who stole them from retail stores, paying them in cash, usually 15% to 25% of what the goods were worth. He then resold the items for much more than he paid but less than their market value, on websites such as eBay and through his shop, prosecutors said. Some of the stolen goods were shipped to buyers in other states.

On several occasions from 2024 to 2026, investigators sold Smith property presented as stolen, prosecutors said. Smith sometimes gave a confidential source working with investigators a wish list of items he wanted, including generators, vacuums and lawn mowers.

Prosecutors said that from 2018 to 2026, Smith bought and sold $750,000 worth of stolen property.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation.

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