A Florida man is caught by Target stealing thousands of dollars worth of trading cards from multiple stores using $0.99 taco seasoning packets.
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| Target store; credit: by Mike Mozart, CC BY 2.0 |
Florida Man Caught Stealing in Self-Checkout Scheme Involving Taco Meat Seasoning Packets
Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier reported that 39-year-old Keith Wallis of Pompano Beach, Florida was arrested after he allegedly engaged in an "organized retail fraud scheme" that took place in Target stores from Miami to Orlando, Florida.
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| Keith Wallis mugshot |
Wallis was accused of 75 retail thefts at multiple Target stores between July 2025 and February 2026.
His scheme involved grabbing large boxes of trading cards and an equal amount of 99-cent taco meat seasoning packets. At the self-checkout, Wallis would only scan the taco meat seasoning packets and then resell the stolen trading cards on eBay. His scheme generated "almost $40,000 USD in revenue" while the stolen merchandise totaled "over $10,000 USD."
Florida Man will be prosecuted to the 'Maximum Punishment' of the Law
The Attorney General's office reported that Wallis was charged with three counts of felony dealing in stolen property, felony organized retail theft, and one count of felony money laundering. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution led the investigation with help from Broward and Martin counties.
Attorney General James Uthmeier said:
"Florida has the number one economy in the nation because of our commitment to law and order. Organized retail theft drives up prices for consumers, and that is not a result we are going to tolerate. These schemes will be met with the maximum punishment allowed under the law."
The Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw made the following statement:
"This arrest sends a clear message that organized retail theft, no matter how coordinated or far-reaching, will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted."
Keith Wallis has Prior Thefts on Record
Wallis is also being investigated for more thefts at Publix and Walmart locations in Florida. He has a history of theft, noting the example below.
An example:
In Nov. 2025, Wallis pled guilty to petit theft that took place in Sept. 2025 at a Palm Beach Publix. He exited the Publix without paying for two steaks valued at $77. He returned to the store and stole two loaves of bread and scanned two packs of gravy in place of the bread barcodes. The store manager confronted Wallis at the self-checkout register for his prior transaction, and informed him to "return the steaks to correct the transaction and pay for the steaks."
The store manager stopped the transaction with the bread, and Wallis left the store immediately, leaving his debit card behind on the payment terminal.
Palm Beach Police Department then confronted Wallis, asking if he was at the Publix on Sept. 9, 2025.
Wallis responded: "Uh, I am going to pay for the steak, uh, yeah," and told the detective he had "no problem returning to the Publix and paying for the steaks."
In a guilty plea, he was ordered not to return to that Publix, and to pay for the steaks and the court costs.
Sources:
Cervantes Jr., Fernando. "Man accused of using taco meat seasoning packets to steal $40K from Target." USA Today. 27 Feb. 2026.
Shields, Malcolm. "Florida man accused of stealing trading cards, selling them online for nearly $40,000." ABC 25 WPBF News. 27 Feb. 2026
