A Nashville man finds himself in hot water after being cuffed for hawking hot merchandise – namely, a stolen stash of exclusive Nike workout gear from their yet-to-be-released Megan Thee Stallion collection. Joseph Harris, 42, allegedly snatched 10 boxes containing 350 adult workout onesies and had the audacity to throw them up for sale on Facebook Marketplace, flouting their official release date, as reported by WKRN.
So bold was the scheme that detectives, after discovering the swag online, managed a little sting of their own, reaching out to Harris under the guise of eager buyers. They agreed to meet on a Murfreesboro Road parking lot on March 6, where Harris sold five onesies to the undercover agents – doing so for $180, a severe undercut of the estimated value of $625. It was here, amidst the exchange, that cops spotted a large bag brimming with more onesies in the vehicle, signalling there might've been more to this illegal enterprise.
The arrest of Harris on March 8 is but a speck in the mounting pile of Nike's supply chain headaches, a series of troubles stretching from the West to East Coast. Los Angeles recently saw a $5 million recovery in stolen Nike goodies, according to Front Office Sports, showcasing a persisting trend in pilfered product plaguing the sportswear titan. These criminal efforts have looted everything from exclusive prototypes to vast quantities of sneakers, putting a spotlight on the vulnerability of Nike's distribution network.
A similar operation unfolded in Memphis and Chicago, with Memphis taking a blow by two large-scale thefts, which totaled in a loss of one million dollars worth of product, and Chicago saying goodbye to their Nike flagship store due to unchecked theft. It's a gnawing issue for a brand that's stitched so much of modern Americana into the fabric of it is athletic wear.
As for the accused, Harris is now facing theft of property charges. Authorities have emphasized that the stolen merchandise recovered – approximately valued at $45,000 – was part of a significant loss for Nike. The merchandise was supposed to hit the market in grand style, celebrated for its collaboration with the rap megastar, only to be prematurely peddled on a social platform, as detailed by WSMV.
