Nearly $500K in Legos, videos, toys found in search of Salem home

A Salem man was arrested this month in connection with an organized retail theft investigation that recovered nearly $500,000 in stolen property, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives executed a search warrant of the man's residence after several months investigating a suspected fencing operation there.

Investigators found more than 2,200 Lego sets, more than 8,500 videos and video sets, more than 800 vinyl records and more than 1,000 toys. They estimated the total value to be about $495,000.

The 48-year-old man was booked into Marion County Jail on Aug. 19 on charges including organized retail theft, money laundering, and first degree theft by receiving.

The man registered a business, Toyologist LLC, in August 2023, operating out of his home address. Documents filed with the secretary of state identify the business's purpose as "ecommerce of reusable items, thrifted items."

According to a statement detailing the cause for his arrest, the man was purchasing the items from shoplifters and reselling them.

In an interview with the investigator, the man said he was aware the items were stolen and had given people lists of which items he wanted to buy. An analysis of his eBay storefront found more than 3,000 items listed as "new," "brand new," "sealed," or "factory sealed." He had sold more than 9,000 items on eBay.

The investigator found the man had collected more than $323,000 since July 2023. He also had paid more than $100,000 via CashApp to individuals who are suspected in dozens of thefts.

A surveillance camera set up to monitor the man's residence also appeared to show suspects in shoplifting cases arriving at his residence shortly after leaving stores with stolen merchandise, according to the statement.

The recovered items filled two U-Haul trucks, 15-feet and 20-feet-long, respectively.

The man is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 16.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Oregon Department of Justice Organized Retail Theft Task Force and the Salem Police Department, and worked with asset protection and loss prevention professionals from Target, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Fred Meyer.

Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Nearly $500K in Legos, videos, toys found in search of Salem home