Spending money on your hobbies can become a slippery slope quickly, especially when it comes to something as nostalgic and valuable as Pokémon. One man from Iowa even went on a spree to spend $140,000 on Pokemon cards, except he didn’t use his money– he used his company’s credit card and thought he could get away with it. Turns out he couldn’t, because the FBI eventually caught him, but not with a Poké Ball.
34-year-old Mitch William Gross is the Poké-fan in question, and he hails from Earling, Iowa. On August 15, 2025, Gross was finally sentenced to four months in federal prison for wire fraud. Court documents from the US Attorney’s Office in Iowa indicate Gross used business-related credit cards from the Ruan Transportation Corporation to purchase Pokemon TCG cards, gaming items, and gift cards, even managing to rack up $140,000 in fraudulent purchases over a year from September 2021 to October 2022.
Gross even learned how to falsify receipts to cover his expenses and make them appear legitimate. The FBI had to handle the case to expedite the investigation and track down the expenses, which might have occurred all over the US. Sadly, for Gross, his punishment won’t end in just four months in federal prison, as he’ll also be under strict surveillance, and he’ll have to pay back what he owes.
“After completing his term of imprisonment, Gross will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Gross was also ordered to pay $146,590.15 in restitution,” according to court documents, transcript courtesy of US Attorney’s Office
Funny enough, this isn’t even the most egregious case of fraud related to purchasing Pokemon cards. Because, as early as the first month of 2025, a man from Singapore stole around $370,000 from his company to also purchase Pokemon cards and fund his other expensive hobbies.
People Go Crazy for Pokémon Cards
Apart from the nostalgic and popular allure of Pokemon as a franchise, it’s no secret anymore that some of the rarest Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) cards can be auctioned or resold for exorbitant amounts of money. The most expensive Pokemon card, a 1998 Pikachu, costs $6.1 million now and was sold for $5.2 million back in 2021. YouTube Logan Paul was the buyer. Other rare Pokémon cards don’t exactly cost that much, but they still sell well, which explains the consumer craze and, consequently, the scalper frenzy.
“Imagine throwing away your career and freedom just to evolve into the world’s most expensive 10-year-old,” imagines one Reddit user
“Boss makes a billion, I cant afford honey, So I buy pokemon cards, With the companies money”
Still, people online managed to mock Mitch Gross for his decision to steal from his company and ruin his career for Pokemon cards. Because while the rarest of them can be worth a fortune, most people usually won’t pull Pokemon cards that rare.
“This makes sense because I believe that ‘Gotta catch ’em all’ is also the FBI’s motto.”
“I am seriously wondering how it even got this far. Like wouldn’t a company start to notice tens of thousands of dollars being spent and nothing to show for it? Or did they notice and get the authorities involved to build up sufficient evidence?”
