A King County man is facing a stack of felony charges after prosecutors say he repeatedly hit Ulta Beauty stores around the Seattle area, walking out with thousands of dollars in high-end products. David Joseph Gama has pleaded not guilty and remains in the King County Jail on $50,000 bail.
According to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court and obtained by Westside Seattle, Gama is charged with three counts of organized retail theft in the first degree. The filings describe a string of alleged thefts from Ulta locations across the county and group dozens of reported incidents into three aggregated counts that span multiple dates and stores.
As reported by KOMO News, investigators say the case covers 55 days and includes 24 reported incidents between Nov. 10, 2025 and Jan. 4, 2026. KOMO also reported that investigators allege roughly $184,260.80 in losses, with only about $1,678.80 in merchandise recovered at the time of arrest.
Where the alleged thefts took place
Court filings and local reporting indicate most of the activity focused on an Ulta on Aurora Avenue North and the Ulta at Westwood Village in West Seattle. The documents list 15 incidents at the Aurora Avenue location and five at the West Seattle store, along with single incidents in Tukwila and Federal Way. The West Seattle Blog published images and a detailed day-by-day ledger from the charging papers that highlight several of the larger alleged losses at the Westwood location.
The prosecution’s summary breaks out itemized losses for each alleged incident and lays out why the state asked for $50,000 bail, a request the court granted and kept in place. Westside Seattle notes that the filings cite a lengthy criminal history and multiple prior warrants as key factors behind the bail decision.
What the law allows prosecutors to do
Under Washington law, thefts from different stores can be combined into felony counts when they are part of an alleged organized pattern. RCW 9A.56.350 defines organized retail theft in the first degree as a class B felony when the aggregated value reaches $5,000 or more and allows prosecutors to aggregate thefts that occur within a 180-day window. The charging documents rely on that statute to bundle the separate incidents into three first-degree counts.
Prosecutors' view and the local picture
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has stressed that most shoplifting cases stay at the city level as misdemeanors. When investigators say they can show a “common scheme or plan,” though, the case is bumped up to county prosecutors for felony review. The West Seattle Blog quoted the office as saying, “These are not ‘just property crimes’ … There needs to be appropriate accountability.”
Prosecutors and local outlets have also flagged a broader trend. KOMO News reported that King County prosecutors filed 640 economic and property cases last year, the highest number since 2019.
Gama remains presumed innocent as the case moves through King County Superior Court and prosecutors work to prove the pattern described in the charging documents. The filings and local coverage suggest this will be a closely watched test of how aggressively the region responds to alleged organized retail theft.
