The three family members were accused of paying drug addicts to shoplift glass art, Armani suits and other high-end goods from local stores in Seattle.

They fenced the stolen merchandise at the well-known Liberty Jewelry and Loan pawnshop at 116 Pike Street, according to prosecutors.

Leslie Calvo, 39, who ran the shop owned by her father, pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property, two counts of possession of stolen property and two other theft-related crimes.

She faces between 4 1/2 and nearly six years in prison at the sentencing for all three defendants June 13.

Her 71-year-old father, Martin D. Levy, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property, two counts of possession of stolen property and one count of second-degree solicitation to commit theft. He faces two to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Calvo’s husband, Richard, 38, who has a Burien dental practice and pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree trafficking and one count of first-degree possession of stolen property, faces up to a year in jail.

Leslie Calvo and her father originally faced charges such as leading organized crime and money laundering, which would have carried stiffer penalties, said her attorney, Allen Ressler.

Prosecutors from the state Attorney General’s Office would only accept the deal if all three pleaded guilty, and Leslie Calvo didn’t want to expose herself or her elderly father to additional prison time, Ressler said.

“She accepted the most responsibility and to some extent what motivates her is the desire to see this whole thing resolved, and the concern about going to trial and losing on the more serious offense,” he said.

The three are accused of selling glass pieces stolen from art galleries, shoplifted Coach purses, a $500 bananawood soap dish and other luxuries from Levy’s pawnshop. They also unloaded more than $300,000 worth of goods on eBay and kept some merchandise for themselves.

Investigators said the three used a group of street drug addicts who were willing to walk into a store or gallery, shoplift the goods and deliver them to the pawnshop — often with the price tags still intact.

The thieves were often given 10 percent of the retail value for each item and used it to support their drug habits, police said.

Police began investigating in March 2004 when they were tipped about a major fencing operation involving the pawnshop. One informant later told police he had been delivering stolen items to the store since 1988.

In July 2005, police searched Levy’s Mercer Island home, his pawnshop, and the Calvos’ West Seattle home and found hundreds of stolen items, including more than 300 glass-art pieces, golf clubs and electronic devices.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: You know in the Google Map below where it says “1 Review”? We happened to follow that link, where we found the following “review”:

DANGEROUS DENTIST!!  

1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

By Anonymous

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Dr. Calvo is in practice w/ his father and sister. Although the rest of the family might be on the up-and-up, he is NOT! I think he is on drugs, one time in his chair was way too many. Face it you are placing your life in his hands and there are enough honest dentists out there. Dr. Calvo is currently facing 32 Felony charges, do your homework and get a reliable dentist! I personally FIRED Dr Calvo and now go to a dentist miles away!]

SOURCE:

• The Seattle P-I

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