A cash robbery and a $9,600 Pokémon card heist landed multiple suspects in custody during opening weekend of Anime NYC at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan, as New York State Police say the convention's massive crowds once again drew thieves eyeing high-value collectibles. Three people were taken into custody after an attendee was robbed of $600 in cash on Thursday, while a Las Vegas man was separately arrested a day later in connection with $9,600 worth of Pokémon cards stolen from a convention vendor.
New York State Police reported that Raphique A. Morris, Jermaine R. McBean and Ove Williams were each arrested and charged with robbery and petit larceny following the $600 cash robbery, according to CBS News New York. Investigators located the three suspects still in the area after the incident, per the same report. Because the theft involved the use or threat of physical force rather than a simple pocket-picking, it was charged as robbery rather than misdemeanor petit larceny — a distinction that automatically elevates a forcible taking under New York law, according to Ianniello Chauvin, LLP.
Separately, state police say Joseph Quach was arrested in Las Vegas on Friday in connection with the theft of $9,600 worth of Pokémon cards from a convention vendor. Quach was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, per the CBS station's report. Under New York Penal Law Section 155.35, Grand Larceny in the 3rd Degree applies to property valued between $3,000 and $50,000 and carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison, according to the Law Office of Jonathan Savella.
A Record Crowd Meets a Familiar Target
Anime NYC organizers estimated attendance of 170,000 people for the weekend, with the convention running from Thursday through Sunday. Organizers describe it as the largest anime convention on the East Coast, the station notes — a scale that has grown enormously since LeftField Media launched the event in November 2017 with roughly 20,000 attendees, according to Nerd Caliber. The convention officially shifted its dates from November to August in 2024 as attendance approached six figures.
Because the Javits Center is operated by the New York Convention Center Operating Corporation, a state public benefit corporation, primary criminal investigative responsibility on its grounds falls to the New York State Police Troop NYC Manhattan Criminal Squad rather than the NYPD, according to New York State Police. Suspects are still processed through NYPD's 10th Precinct before being sent to Manhattan Central Booking for arraignment.
Part of a Broader Tri-State Pattern
Pokémon card thefts and robberies have occurred across the tri-state area throughout the year, the CBS station reports. In January, a Queens man was arrested for allegedly helping steal over $100,000 worth of Pokémon cards during two armed robberies. That same month, three masked gunmen robbed The Poké Court trading card shop in Chelsea during a 40-person community event, holding attendees at gunpoint and stealing over $100,000 in rare cards within three minutes, as Hoodline previously reported.
In June, masked thieves broke into a New Jersey hobby shop and stole between $40,000 and $50,000 worth of Pokémon cards and merchandise, per the station's report. The Javits Center itself has repeatedly been a target: in July, state police arrested a Florida man for grand larceny after he allegedly stole $17,000 worth of high-value trading cards during Fanatics Fest, according to New York State Police. Months earlier, in February, troopers assigned to the venue arrested a Bronx resident during the Westminster Dog Show for a series of convention hall burglaries and larcenies dating back to late 2025.
Vendors Turn to On-Site Authentication
Anime NYC organizers had already taken steps to guard against counterfeit and stolen goods on the show floor this year. Official grading service JSA established an on-site authentication station at the convention offering $15 per-item verification services, according to information from Anime NYC, a measure that helps establish chain of custody for high-value collectibles moving through the venue.
Whether that safeguard will expand or change in response to this weekend's arrests remains to be seen. Anime NYC runs through Sunday at the Javits Center, with organizers and vendors likely to face renewed pressure to tighten security around portable, high-value merchandise as the secondary trading card market keeps climbing in value.
