Charges: Two men stole $147K worth of Pokémon merch from Forest Lake store
FOREST LAKE, Minn. -- Two men face charges for allegedly stealing over $147,000 worth of Pokémon merchandise from a game store in Forest Lake last year.
Charging documents say Matthew Cuypers Jr. and Dustin Wittern cut their way through the drywall into Punch Out Gaming on Feb. 10, 2022. Part of the theft was captured on security camera video.
The thieves stole over 2,800 Pokémon card packs and other Pokémon merchandise, which cost $147,278.22, according to documents.
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Cuypers was interviewed in March of 2022 by law enforcement in connection to an unrelated federal investigation, charges state. He admitted to stealing Pokémon cards from a mini mall in Forest Lake and said he worked with Wittern, who knew a buyer. Cuypers also said that it was an "inside job."
The two men are charged with aiding and abetting third-degree burglary in Washington County.
In a Facebook post, Punch Out Gaming said that insurance paid for the lost product, though the Pokémon merchandise has not been found.