Gen Con Magic: The Gathering card thieves charged with felony theft

Two men accused of stealing $300,000. Magic: The Gathering cards from a Indiana retailer setting up at tabletop convention Gen Con have been charged with felony theft, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Thomas Dunbar and Andrew Giaume created the video game Castle AssaultThe alleged theft by. Magic: the Gathering Cards from retailer and tournament organizer Pastimes Comics & Games. If Dunbar and Giaume are found guilty they could face up to 6 years of prison time and a fine as high as $10,000. Marion County’s prosecutor said that the charges were brought after an investigation which spanned Indiana as well as New York. Dunbar and Giaume both reside in New York.

“During the course of the investigation, the stolen merchandise was located and recovered as evidence,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement issued to Polygon. “The filing of charges today ensures that there are criminal consequences for this conduct.”

A sworn statement provided by Polygon outlines the theft, and investigation that followed. On Aug. 2, Pastimes Games manager John Temple reported the cards as stolen from his company’s designated space on the Gen Con show floor. Days later, police received security footage that showed the alleged theft, which featured two white men matching Dunbar and Giaume’s descriptions using a pallet jack to relocate a pallet full of boxes wrapped in plastic. Once the men removed the pallet of cards from the Pastimes booth, it’s alleged that they then hid it under a curtain. Later, the men appeared again this time with a “red hand cart” full of Magic: The GatheringUnwrapped card boxes from plastic that was previously used to attach them to the pallet.

Security footage showed the two men, whom also matched Dunbar and Giaume’s descriptions, moving the cards from the Indiana Convention Center, through a hotel, and into the parking garage, where they presumably loaded the boxes into a car. After leaving the garage, the security footage showed that the two men had an empty cart. This affidavit includes even a picture of the Nissan Murano 2023 that was driven in Indiana by the men, and the boxes were visible in the trunk. Police were eventually able to link the rented vehicle to Dunbar.

Both badges were registered in the names of both individuals. In the affidavit it is stated that Scott Fischer was changed into Ashriel Lockheart between August 1, and 5,

Marion County Prosecutor’s Office

Video evidence isn’t the only material mentioned in the affidavit. The affidavit states that Dunbar, Giaume attempted to gain entry into a booth which was shared between Asmodee Games and Atomic Mass Games. These two companies produce Marvel and Star Wars board games, among other things. The person hired to staff the booth, who thought they were breaking in, snapped photos before leaving. The contractor was able to recognize Dunbar when the police made public that photo.

A New York attorney later contacted police, saying he represented a person who was “coerced” into buying the pallet of Magic: The GatheringCards for $4,000. The person didn’t realize the worth, the attorney said, until they came home and saw the Gen Con heist story on the news. On Aug. 25, New York state police went to that attorney’s office, where they found 115 boxes of Magic: The Gathering trading cards and Dungeons & Dragons books, according to the affidavit. The material is being held by the police as evidence.

Pastimes Games has been contacted by Polygon for a comment.