Years ago I had a similar pawn shop experience. Stolen merchandise, weeks go by police found nothing. My wife and I went to pawn shops looking (we never shop in one). Sure enough there it was! Wife waits while I go get the box. Serial numbers matched perfectly!
Now...hindsite is 20-20. Today, I'd take MY merchandise out the store. It's mine, verified by serial numbers, witnessed. Let them call the cops...I'm retrieving my stuff I paid for!
Instead...dummy me...I paid pawn ticket!
Several trips to court, #@$$# never shows up. Finally investigator calls me..."I don't have to go to court, he was arrested and charged". I never got pawn money back, and judge made guy pay me restitution.
$1,200 merchandise, restitution was set at $10 a month!!!!!
In the end I got a total of $120 since he got NO jail time and one year probation. After the year, guy moves, no forwarding address.
People wonder why there's so much crime? It's lucrative!