A Mt. Pleasant Township grocery store owner, accused of racking up millions of dollars in illegal profits by selling stolen items, waived his preliminary hearing Thursday and opted to proceed to trial. But don’t read too much into the decision, his lawyer warned.

“There is no plea agreement,” said Francis R. Murrman, the attorney for well-known Bridgeport store owner Melvin “Beanie” McCloy, 60.

McCloy appeared before Norvelt District Judge Roger Eckels on charges filed by state police and Fayette County detectives of running a corrupt organization, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, receiving stolen property and fraudulently trafficking in food orders for allegedly selling stolen groceries over the past three years. The case will now proceed to trial in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court.

A forensic analysis of McCloy’s business records showed that in 2016 he “deposited $3.9 million into his business account,” investigators reported in court documents. “In the year of 2017 up to July, he deposited $1.7 million.”

Investigators began investigating McCloy in May 2015 after area police departments responded to numerous retail thefts from various Walmarts and Shop’n Save, Giant Eagle and County Market stores, among other places in Fayette and Westmoreland counties, according to state police and court documents. Stolen items included soda, energy drinks, coffee and laundry detergent.

Murrman painted a different picture of McCloy, who he said has run the “mom and pop” store in the tiny village of Bridgeport “seven days a week for 40 years.”

McCloy disputes the allegations, with his attorney noting that most of the proceeds referred to in the criminal complaints were total amount of checks he cashed for people in the community.

“It was done as a courtesy … he didn’t even take a fee for cashing those checks. But he admits he did it to entice people to come into the store and then hoped they would buy something in return,” Murrman said.

Murrman said McCloy plans to challenge investigators’ contentions that he bought stolen items to resell at below-market costs and directed people on what retail items to steal from neighboring stores to restock his shelves.

In a July 2017 search, investigators took inventory of items inside the store and determined about 65 percent of the merchandise was believed to have been stolen, state police allege in court documents.

However, Murrman said McCloy has proof from vendors that he purchased items that were sold in the store.

In 2015, investigators reported that they paid $160 for 20 cases of soda at an area store and then took the cache to McCloy, who paid $40 for it, according to court documents. In July 2015, an undercover trooper took 25 cases of soda to McCloy, who bought it for $80.

Investigators searched McCloy’s store in July 2017 and found $24,862 in cash. At his nearby residence, another $722,000 was recovered, according to court documents.

“Some of the funds were hidden in a floor safe,” investigators reported. “The money wrappers were stamped and dated within the past three years.”

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that store, but it’s about the size of my garage,” Murrman said. “It’s a mom-and-pop operation where people stop for a loaf of bread. It’s beyond comprehension for investigators to allege that amount of illegal proceeds went through that store.”

The store remains open. McCloy remains free on $25,000 unsecured bond.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.

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