Shop owner allegedly rips off customers

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) - Cheektowaga Police charged Patti Ferrentino, also known as Patti Stearns, with scheming to defraud on Tuesday. Ferrentino was arrested at her store, the "Acquired Attire" consignment shop in the Village of Hamburg, by Hamburg Police. The investigation was based on consumer complaints referred by Call 4 Action.

Cheektowaga Police Lt. Ken Rusin said, "The complaints that I had, and the people I talked to, on a systematic basis, it appears what she is doing is she will take the property in, she will sell it, not give the people their money. Then, when the people ask for her their property back, she doesn't have it."

Ferrentino's store in Hamburg is just the latest location for Acquired Attire. Cheektowaga Police acted on complaints against Ferrentino when her store was located in a retail strip plaza on Transit Road, which Ferrentino vacated last year. Before Cheektowaga, Ferrentino also operated a store in West Seneca called Thrifty Threads, where Robin Heintz told us, she got burned.

Heintz says when Ferrentino started that the consignment shop in West Seneca, she had nothing in the store. So Heintz and her mom got busy supplying Thrifty Trends with inventory.

Heintz explained, "My mom and I spent a lot of time cleaning these clothes up, boxing them, steam cleaning them. Not only us, there were other people, too, that came along after that, and she just skipped on everybody."

Police in Hamburg say they've received complaints about Acquired Attire and more charges could be forthcoming.

"We are looking at some additional charges in the future to possibly be laid against her, that we will determine after speaking with the District Attorney's Office," said Lt. Rusin.