Skip to main content

Florida man used taco seasoning in $10K trading-card theft scheme, officials say

Keith Wallis faces sentence up to 90 years, Uthmeier says

Keith Wallis (left) and a still from surveillance footage showing him allegedly scanning a seasoning packet in place of a box of trading cards at a self-checkout (right). (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Florida man arrested Monday is accused of stealing upwards of $10,000 worth of trading cards at self-checkouts by scanning seasoning packets in their place, according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and statewide prosecutors.

Keith Wallis, 39, faces two counts of organized retail theft, three counts of dealing in stolen property, and a charge of money laundering, the sheriff’s office said on social media.

According to statements from the sheriff’s office and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Wallis made approximately $39,000 to $40,000 in proceeds through online sales of the trading cards and now faces a sentence of as many as 90 years.

The sheriff’s office began investigating Wallis in November 2025, when a Target store in Lake Park reported the theft of multiple boxes of trading cards in the span of about a week, according to the post. The investigation soon led to confirmation of Wallis’ identity, as well as the determination that he had committed around 39 thefts at Target stories statewide since July 2025, causing the retailer more than $5,000 in losses, the post states.

[VIDEO BELOW: News 6 investigation nets refunds for victims]

Wallis’ alleged method was to select multiple boxes of trading cards and an equal amount of 99-cent packets of taco seasoning, only paying for the latter at self-checkout, according to Uthmeier and the sheriff’s office. Wallis was ultimately linked to 75 retail thefts totaling $10,665.42 in losses while targeting Target and Walmart stores from Orlando to Homestead and along both coasts, the officials said, adding investigators further believe he committed additional thefts at Publix locations.

Wallis’ arrest warrant was obtained in Martin County, the sheriff’s office said, where Broward County deputies assisted in executing a residential search warrant and arresting him without incident. He was still in the Broward County Jail with holds out of Martin and Brevard counties at the time of this writing.

[MORE: Florida man caught destroying Chinese restaurant to stop COVID, deputies say]


Loading...