Man bought Pokémon cards, gaming items with company money, sentenced to four months

The slogan “gotta catch ‘em all” was pertinent to the recent sentencing of an Iowa man who was convicted of defrauding his employer of more than US$140,000 on Pokémon cards and video games.

William Gross of Earling, Iowa, was sentenced to four months in a federal prison last week after being convicted of wire fraud.

According to a press release from the Southern District of Iowa, an investigation by the FBI and the Des Moines found that between September 2021 and October 2022, Gross defrauded his employer, Ruan Transportation Corporation, by using company credit cards to purchase trading cards, video game accessories and prepaid gift cards.

“Gross submitted falsified receipts and mischaracterized fraudulent charges on his expense reports so that the purchases appeared as legitimate business expenses,” the press release said.

Once he finishes his sentence, Gross will need to serve a three-year term of supervised release, according to the press release. He has also been ordered to pay US$146,590.15 in restitution.

There have been a number of Pokémon card-related incidents in 2025. A Fort McMurray, Alta., man was arrested last week after the RCMP seized C$20,000 worth of stolen cards.

Last month, a New Bedford, Mass., person was arrested after police said he stole more than US$100,000 in Pokémon cards and tried to sell them.

Regina police charged two men in May after C$30,000 worth of Pokémon cards and other memorabilia were stolen from a home.

Police in Victoria, B.C., arrested a man last April for having thousands of dollars in counterfeit cash after trying to buy Pokémon cards using Facebook marketplace.

That same month, four people were arrested in Toronto after stealing a Pokémon Charizard No. 4 card, valued at C$7,000.

In Guelph, Ont., police said they were looking for a suspect who stole nearly C$200 worth of Pokémon cards from a store.