Los Angeles – A Strange Ride Leads to Legal Trouble
Last fall in Phoenix, Roy Lee Harvey hopped into a Lyft, and during the ride, he shared details about his business of buying trendy Nike sneakers and selling them for a profit. The driver was intrigued, and they exchanged contact information. Eventually, they met at Harvey’s apartment in Scottsdale, where the driver noticed numerous Nike shoes scattered around.
These high-demand shoes, produced in limited quantities, often sell for three to four times their original price on the resale market. Reselling sneakers has blossomed into a huge global business, with social media influencers generating buzz through popular unboxing videos.
As more sneaker enthusiasts, known as sneakerheads, rush to purchase and trade these styles, some treat their collections like investments, keeping them pristine to increase their value over time. However, the Lyft driver grew suspicious after their meeting and later discovered that Harvey faced felony charges in California for allegedly operating a sneaker theft operation.
Recently, federal authorities expanded the case against him, unveiling an indictment that accuses Harvey and several significant shoe resellers from cities like Los Angeles and Chicago of paying Nike employees to help steal popular shoe brands to sell for profit.
Harvey has pleaded not guilty, with his attorney arguing there’s no direct evidence that he knew the shoes were stolen and claiming that Nike hasn’t incurred losses from the resale market.
Investigations began when Detective Marc Sternin from the LAPD’s commercial crimes division started looking into the theft ring, prompted by Nike who noticed suspicious packages at their Memphis distribution center. These parcels had UPS labels but had somehow made their way into the back of a U.S. postal truck, destined for addresses linked to Harvey.
The internal Nike investigation revealed that these suspected thieves were using a method called “ghost labeling” to hide the original shipping information and redirect packages to multiple Hollywood addresses. According to Detective Sternin, they found at least 28 mislabelled boxes.
Teaming up with Nike and the FBI, LAPD devised a plan to place GPS trackers in those packages. During a surveillance operation, they observed Harvey and a woman retrieving the parcels. Police later stopped the U-Haul truck Harvey was driving and confiscated the goods.
While being questioned, Harvey mentioned his long-standing involvement in the shoe business but did not answer further questions. Investigators later accessed his phone records, discovering a frequent contact with a Nike supervisor linked to the thefts.
This supervisor, Michael Reno Perkins, is accused of bringing several employees into the scheme, with Harvey directing them on which shoes to target based on reseller demand. Perkins was also indicted recently in federal court.
The ongoing investigation has implicated others, including Bereket Abraham, a former co-owner of the well-known sneaker store CoolKicks. While Abraham has not yet entered a plea, CoolKicks has stated that it terminated his relationship with the company following the indictment.
Additionally, social media reseller Jorge Cuellar is also among those charged, with accusations that he conducted extensive transactions with Harvey. Officials allege that many initial buyers of stolen goods are aware they are purchasing stolen merchandise, while later buyers might not know the origins, complicating the matter for law enforcement.
Amid the growing concern over cargo theft, especially in Los Angeles, authorities say thieves are targeting places like ports and train yards. Criminals often use methods such as hacking emails and creating fake trucking companies to orchestrate their schemes.
Internet discussions among sneakerheads have sparked debate about how much local sellers knew about their product sources. Some dismiss the investigation as exaggerated, while others note that many resellers maintain connections with shoe companies.
Authorities claim Harvey continued his alleged shoe-stealing activities even after being aware of police scrutiny. The Lyft incident has raised further legal concerns, as Harvey reportedly threatened the driver and his family after their encounter, although he hasn’t been charged for these alleged threats.
During the time of his ride, Harvey was already facing restrictions from the court that prohibited him from selling shoes or traveling outside California without permission.
