$300 loan from Wichita pawn shop turns into $23,000 judgment after jewelry not returned
The owner of a south Wichita pawn shop has been ordered to pay more than $23,000 for being unlicensed and not returning jewelry to a woman who used it as collateral for a loan, according to court records.
Ethan Ma, the owner of 1st Gold at 2408 S. Hillside, did not return a call Wednesday morning. The number associated with the store went right to a voicemail that says the Wichita man’s name.
The default judgment comes after Ma did not respond to the allegations against him, court records show. The $23,197 includes $20,000 for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, $2,000 to the victim and $1,197 for court and investigative costs.
Court records say he operated the business since 2010, but let his required city license expire on Dec. 31, 2021. The business also isn’t registered with the state after failing to file the necessary paperwork — the last year the annual filing was done was in 2021, according to online records.
“City of Wichita Charter Ordinance requires pawnbrokers to furnish a full true and correct transcript of the record of all transactions conducted on the preceding day,” court records say. “City of Wichita requires every loan made by a pawnbroker for which goods are received in pledge as security shall be evidenced by a written contract, in ink, a copy of which shall be furnished to the borrower.”
Ma failed to do either one of those, court records say.
The woman pawned an estimated $2,000 worth of jewelry in August 2022 for a $300 loan, court records say. She provided at least two receipts to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, showing she made the monthly $30 payment.
She texted Ma in March 2023 about getting her jewelry, court records show, but he replied that he no longer had it. She filed a complaint with the DA’s Consumer Protection Division in May 2023.
“Defendant should still have record of its transaction ... (but he) maintains (he) no longer has records for this transaction,” court records say. “Defendant claims he is no longer acting as a pawnbroker.”