KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville man has been indicted in Kentucky on charges relating to transporting stolen goods across state lines and selling merchandise knowing it was stolen.
The indictment states that Jason Cates and an unnamed, unindicted coconspirator traveled to states around Tennessee to sell and steal sports collectibles. According to the indictment out of Fayette County, Kentucky, Cates and the coconspirator stole from multiple stores including Kentucky Roadshow Shop in September 2021.
After this, Cates made posts on Facebook marketplace selling baseball cards with serial numbers that matched ones stolen from Kentucky Roadshow Shop. The indictment said when a prospective buyer from Facebook asked about the cards, Cates replied, “Got everything real cheap, didn’t have to pay full price, that’s why I bought it all.”
The indictment says the value of the merchandise stolen from Kentucky Roadshow Shop was around $10,000
In October, the indictment alleges Cates burglarized Breaking Bangers, a sports card retail store located in Cartersville, Georgia. The indictment said Cates stole over $200,000 worth of merchandise from Breaking Bangers. After returning to Knoxville, officials searched Cates’ apartment where they found lots of the stolen merchandise, some that still had the Breaking Bangers retail labels.
