A 36-year-old man pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $21,000 Pokemon cards and was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison as part of a plea deal. The Pokemon The card thief pleaded guilty six months after his arrest, which occurred during a traffic stop during which police found other items on his person.
The Pokemon trading card game has long been a profitable staple Pokemon brand since its arrival in the West in the late 1990s. WITH PokemonWith the 30th anniversary in full swing, the celebrations have also extended to a trading card game. The Pokemon TCG starts 30th celebration expansion in September, which will feature reprints of popular cards from the game's history, such as the Base Set Charizard card.
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In the absence of concrete news, new details regarding the legendary boxarts for Pokémon Winds and Waves have surfaced online.
North Carolina Pokemon card thief pleads guilty to January robbery
However, overwhelming popularity Pokemon TCG has become a target for collectors and thieves alike, with some cards attracting eye-watering sums of money on third-party marketplaces. Joseph Trevor Wilson of Wilmington, North Carolina, will spend at least 10 to 14 years behind bars after pleading guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to a New Hanover County Superior Court report. Wilson was arrested in January 2026 during a police stop and charged with stealing nearly $21,000 Pokemon cards from Video Game Time, Wilmington's video game and trading card store. Surveillance footage from Video Game Time linked Wilson to the crime. Police discovered a BB gun, cocaine and drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop in January when Wilson was arrested.
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Together with Pokemon card robbery, Wilson also pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree kidnapping, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia as part of a deal. District Attorney Jason Smith's office said Wilson posed as a customer to commit the robbery. The DA's office said Wilson pepper-sprayed employees of the Video Game Time store, zip-tied them and brandished a gun before fleeing the scene. Pokemon cards, mobile phone and some cash. Wilson claimed in his plea agreement that two other men forced him into the robbery to cover a debt he owed. Some of the stolen ones Pokemon the cards were obtained over 90 miles away in Fayetteville, which is located northwest of Wilmington.
However, Wilson's case is far from the only crime that Pokemon TCG trades have recently dealt with. In early June, The Card Lab in Brentwood, California was the target of a Pokemon a card heist that took just 39 seconds, according to security camera footage. The thieves stole approximately $15,000 Pokemon cards from a Bay Area store while one of the store's employees was away from the counter. The thieves then took off in a Nissan Altima.
Given that Pokemon TCG products were also scalped and sold at ridiculously high prices, The Pokemon Company took steps to combat the ongoing problems. Effective May 31st, The Pokemon Company no longer allows graded cards, Japanese Pokemon Center products, and other high value items on official Pokemon TCG events.
Sources: Dexerto, WECT
