Even if the police believes the pawn shop violated the law cited below, they have to prove it in a court. The DA might not feel it's worth the headache or that the case is unwin-able. This is a criminal case and must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The person buying from the pawn shop has a strong civil case against them, regardless of the criminal case.
637:7 Receiving Stolen Property. –
I. A person commits theft if he receives, retains, or disposes of the property of another knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it has probably been stolen, with a purpose to deprive the owner thereof.
II. The knowledge or belief required for paragraph I is presumed in the case of a dealer who:
(a) Is found in possession or control of property stolen from 2 or more persons on separate occasions; or
(b) Has received other stolen property within the year preceding the receiving charged; or
(c) Being a dealer in property of the sort received, retained or disposed, acquires it for a consideration which he knows is far below its reasonable value, or
(d) Purchases property from a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity, or an agent of such law enforcement officer, where such property has been explicitly represented as stolen.
III. As used in this section, ""receives'' means acquiring possession, control or title or lending on the security of the property; and ""dealer'' means a person in the business of buying or selling goods
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