A Missing $3,500 Cooper Flagg Card Led Deputies to Nine More: Card-Shop Employee Charged With Grand Theft

Published Oct. 6, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

A customer who had already paid for a Cooper Flagg trading card asked for expedited shipping. When staff at a Deerfield Beach, Florida, sports-card and memorabilia business went to find the card, valued at about $3,500, it was gone. According to a Broward Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit, the search for that one card ended with deputies recovering 10 cards worth an estimated $16,720 to $17,220 and the arrest of an employee [1][2].

Maximo Viani Otoni, 22, of Coconut Creek, was arrested Oct. 1, 2026, and is charged with one count of grand theft of property valued at $10,000 or more but less than $20,000, a third-degree felony [1][2][3]. The Broward County clerk's record lists the case as State of Florida v. Maximo Viani Otoni, No. 26011770CF10A, filed Oct. 2. A magistrate found probable cause and set bond at $2,500 [1].

Important: Otoni is charged, not convicted. The case record reviewed Oct. 5 showed no conviction or final disposition [1], and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. We found no public statement from Otoni or an attorney for him.

What investigators allege

According to the arrest report and affidavit as described by local news outlets:

1. The missing card. On Sept. 30, the business's customer service manager learned a collector wanted expedited shipping for a Cooper Flagg card the customer had bought, and could not find it [1][3].
2. The camera above the desk. Another employee said Otoni was the next person to handle the card. Footage from a camera positioned directly above Otoni's workstation showed him seated with the card beneath his desk near his right leg; after he moved away, the card was no longer visible [1].
3. The mailbox. When confronted by a co-worker, Otoni allegedly admitted taking the card and said he had left it in his mailbox at his Coconut Creek home, where it was retrieved [2].
4. Three more cards. Otoni then allegedly said he had three more of the company's cards at home: a Lionel Messi card valued at about $2,200, another Messi card worth about $70, and an ungraded card autographed by Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo valued at $1,500 to $2,000 [3].
5. Six more in the bedroom. After being read his Miranda rights, Otoni allegedly confessed and let investigators recover cards from his bedroom. Deputies found six more that the business identified as its own, worth about $9,450 combined [1].

The six cards, as listed in the report, were a 2021 Panini Donruss Optic Downtown Trevor Lawrence ($1,900), a 2023 Panini Mosaic Micro Anthony Edwards ($1,500), a 2024 Bowman U Now Caitlin Clark autograph ($1,500), a 2025 Topps Chrome Cooper Flagg ($2,200), a 2023 Panini One and One Downtown Variation Dirk Nowitzki ($2,300), and a Panini Prizm World Cup International Ink Raphinha autograph ($50) [3]. The values are the business's estimates as reported in the affidavit, not appraisals.

Under Florida law, a third-degree felony is punishable by up to five years in prison. That is a statutory maximum on conviction, not a sentence in this case [1].

Why collectors should care

Many hobby businesses, including break rooms, consignment shops, grading-submission services and online sellers, hold cards that customers have already paid for. In this case, the alleged theft came to light only because a buyer asked for faster shipping on a card that was already sold [1]. Recovery was possible because of an overhead camera and fast follow-up.

Red flags

For buyers and consigners:

• A seller who can't give a firm ship date for a card you've already paid for, or keeps pushing it back.
• No tracking number, or tracking that never updates.
• Vague answers about who has your card, or where it is stored.

For shop owners:

• Gaps in camera coverage over sorting and packing stations.
• High-value cards handled by one person with no check-in, check-out log.
• Inventory counts that drift and are never reconciled.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Document everything. Keep receipts, listing screenshots, chat messages and tracking numbers for every card you buy or consign.
2. Ask for proof of custody. For high-value cards, ask the seller for a dated photo or video of your card before shipping.
3. Pay with protection. Credit cards and marketplace checkout systems generally offer stronger dispute options than cash or friends-and-family payments.
4. Shop owners: secure and log. Put cameras directly over workstations (it mattered here [1]), require two-person sign-off on top cards, and reconcile inventory regularly.
5. Report theft quickly to local police with serial numbers, cert numbers, photos and estimated values. Fast reporting helps investigators recover cards before they are resold.

Case status (as of Oct. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 6, 2026	Source
Maximo Viani Otoni, 22, Coconut Creek, FL	Broward County, Fla. (No. 26011770CF10A)	Charged with one count of third-degree felony grand theft ($10,000 to $20,000); arrested Oct. 1, 2026; probable cause found, bond set at $2,500; no conviction or disposition as of Oct. 5; presumed innocent	[1], [2], [3]

Those charged are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Statuses can change.

Sources

1. Milos Komnenovic, "A $3,500 Cooper Flagg Card Vanished Before Shipping. Deputies Say It Led to 9 More Cards Belonging to the Shop," Yahoo News, Oct. 5, 2026 (citing Broward Sheriff's Office affidavit and Broward County Clerk of Courts records). https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/3-500-cooper-flagg-card-184904477.html
2. Allyson Castillo, "Employee accused of stealing more than $16K in valuable trading cards in Deerfield Beach," WSVN 7News, Oct. 2, 2026. https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/employee-stole-trading-cards/
3. NBC6, "Employee accused of stealing over $17K worth of sports cards from Broward business," NBC 6 South Florida, Oct. 2, 2026. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/employee-accused-of-stealing-over-17k-worth-of-sports-cards-from-broward-business/3867631/

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