In Longview, Washington, 39-year-old Robert George Scott has been arrested on suspicion of leading a large-scale shoplifting ring. A two-year investigation found that he organized a criminal crew that stole goods from retail stores every day on his direct instructions. Scott bought the stolen items for pennies on the dollar and resold them on eBay under the name “Castle Rock Resale,” earning millions of dollars in the process.
According to police, Scott wasn’t just reselling stolen goods—he personally recruited and managed the thieves, giving them precise instructions on which brands and items to steal, and which stores to target. Among the affected retailers are Lululemon, Fred Meyer (a major regional supermarket chain in the Pacific Northwest where you can buy groceries, clothing, electronics and home goods), Safeway, Walmart and Target. Special focus was placed on high-end items: Lululemon athletic wear, gaming consoles, and collectible Pokémon cards.
The investigation began in 2024 after a Lululemon representative alerted police to a suspicious eBay store. Data analysis showed that from June 2021 to June 2024, more than 118,000 items worth over $3 million were sold through “Castle Rock Resale.” Phone records confirmed that Scott had been running the operation at least since 2020, with as many as 50 people working for him each day—many of whom called him “boss.”
During surveillance, detectives observed Scott meeting suspects in parking lots, picking up items, and taking them to his home on Louisiana Street. During a search using an RFID scanner, police found more than 200 Lululemon items with undetached sensors. Inside the home, police discovered hundreds of brand-new, still-unopened gaming consoles: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, as well as Apple products. Many of the consoles were limited editions.
A particular focus was a collection of 466 boxes of Pokémon cards, most of which were sealed at the factory. Retail value estimates put each box at between $3,500 and $15,000. Scott said he was saving them for retirement and bought them with money from resales. The total seized property is valued at $7 million, including $22,817 in cash found in a closet.
Along with Robert Scott, 52-year-old Michelle Scott—also from Castle Rock, a small town in the southern part of Washington state near the Oregon border—was arrested. It’s likely that’s where Scott got the name for his eBay store, “Castle Rock Resale.” During the search, police found records and accounting books indicating income of about $850,000 in a single year, even though the couple’s tax returns showed only $90,000–$140,000. Police believe roughly $1 million was stored in their bank accounts and crypto wallets.
Robert Scott faces charges including organizing a criminal enterprise for organized theft, possession and trafficking in stolen property, as well as money laundering. He was released on bail but surrendered his passport. The scale of the scheme is striking: over nearly a decade, Scott turned ordinary stolen-goods reselling into a real criminal business, and his home into a warehouse worth about as much as a small electronics store. It’s worth noting that organized retail theft in Washington has become something of an epidemic: according to the Retail Association, in 2022–2023 the theft rate rose by nearly 60% compared with the pre-pandemic period. Changes in state law contributed to this, including raising the threshold for criminal prosecution based on the value of stolen goods, as well as a shortage of police patrols.
Based on: Trove of stolen PlayStations, Pokémon cards, valuables found in WA home