Everything’s not awesome. Puyallup pawn brokers trafficked stolen Lego sets, charges say

Two Puyallup pawnshop brokers are accused of intentionally selling large volumes of stolen Lego sets through an online retailer.

Anthony Wayne Neely, 57, and Brian James Lauman, 55, were charged July 16 with five counts of first-degree attempted trafficking of stolen property and duty to record information. They are accused of selling the stolen Lego sets out of South Hill Rare Coin LLC, 14000 block of Meridian East, according to court documents.

South Hill Rare Coin LLC is a limited liability company registered to Neely. The business was a pawn brokerage where Neely and Lauman worked, documents show.

The charges came following a sting operation by the Puyallup Police Department between March 30, 2023 and November 16, 2023, records show.

Neely and Lauman entered pleas of not guilty during their arraignments July 30. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton released the men on personal recognizance, documents show.

Sting operations

The items allegedly trafficked were shoplifted from retail stores, particularly the nearby Target. Lego sets were frequently stolen as they have a high value, according to charging documents.

At the time, South Hill Target did not keep Lego-brand products behind locked cabinets, but they were frequently kept in Spider Wrap anti-theft devices. The Spider Wrap emits a loud alarm if it is improperly removed from the item, prosecutors wrote.

The first sting operation on March 30, 2023 began when Puyallup officers came into South Hill Rare Coins with two Lego sets worth $120. They were sold to Lauman for $20. The officer asked Lauman if there were any particular Lego sets that would be worth more that he could bring in. Lauman allegedly said the Star Wars and vehicle sets were “hot commodities.”

There were a large number of Lego sets in the back room that were visible. The officer saw the Lego set he had sold to the pawnshop on its eBay site.

During an undercover operation on June 2 an officer brought in four Lego sets of worth about $320. The officer was offered $35 for the sets by Neely and Lauman but got $45 after a negotiation. There were other customers in the store who brought in large volumes of new Lego sets, prosecutors wrote.

A customer told the officer he got his Lego sets at Target and “hits” it several times a day. He pointed to a BMW and indicated the stolen Lego sets he sold at the pawnshop paid for the car. Lauman and Neely were allegedly within arm’s reach during the conversation, documents show.

The undercover officer said he wanted achieve similar success. The customer and Lauman allegedly told the undercover officer he needed to get Star Wars, Harry Potter and Creator Lego sets. The customer was later identified as a suspect in a shoplifting at Target earlier that day, prosecutors wrote.

In another operation on Nov. 10, 2023, an officer went to the store with multiple Lego boxes. He said he needed to “run to Target real quick.” Lauman allegedly laughed and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I know.”

During some of the operations, an officer intentionally brought Lego sets with Spider Wrap on them, which would indicate they were stolen. Both times, the men said they would accept the merchandise if Spider Wrap was removed, documents show.

A search of the store revealed multiple Spider Wrap devices that were cut. There were large volumes of Lego sets, packing materials and other high-value items in their original packaging. Surveillance between August 2023 to November 2023 allegedly showed different people entering the store with Lego sets and leaving empty handed, prosecutors wrote.

Lauman and Neely were detained on Nov. 16, 2023. Lauman asked whether they were being detained because they did not get IDs when purchasing items from customers, prosecutors wrote.

Lauman denied knowing the high number of Lego sets they purchased were stolen but indicated he believed that he ought to have known. Neely said it would not surprise him if people were stealing from stores and selling them at the pawnshop. He denied knowing about an “uptick” in the selling of Lego sets at their shop, prosecutors wrote.

South Hill Rare Coins is also considered criminally liable and is allegedly an entity that trafficked in items that it knew to be stolen.