You’ve heard of the Lufthansa heist, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the Great Train Robbery, but have you heard about the man who stole 7,500 pairs of LeBron’s Nike sneakers? Worth an estimated $1.5 million? Yeah, he’s basically Danny Ocean (no he’s not). Here’s how he did it.
In early November, police say Charles Jennings, an employee of cargo transportation company Intermodal Cartage Group, used his ID card to get into a secure lot and drive away with the valuable shoes.
Because the shoes hadn’t been released yet, their value skyrocketed.
The first colorway of the LeBron 12 shoes were supposed to hit the market Oct. 11 in the United States, but a cosmetic issue delayed the launch.
Jennings had been selling the shoes for about a week, and when members of the task force found the stolen loot, some 700 pairs were missing.
The declared value of the merchandise, $623,280, likely represents the value of the shoes bought by retailers ($83.10 a pair). Those retailers then sell the LeBron 12 in stores for $200.
Jennings was arrested on November 14th. He is free on $75,000 bond.
Pro Tip: If you have one of the 700 stolen pairs, don’t sell it on eBay. And probably, you know, don’t wear it out in public. In fact, just go ahead and call the authorities.
[ESPN]
