Marty Christopher McDaniel, 65, of Hickory and Kenny Price, 44, of Conover, face charges for allegedly conspiring to transport stolen property. Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced that McDaniel appeared in federal court on Tuesday for his initial appearance. A grand jury in Charlotte returned a criminal indictment last week against the two men.
The indictment alleges that from 2020 to 2024, McDaniel and Price conspired with others to sell and transport stolen retail products. Their alleged operation ran through The Gold King, a business owned by McDaniel. The defendants reportedly purchased these retail products from individuals known as “boosters,” who steal goods from retail stores. McDaniel and Price allegedly acted as “fences,” paying a fraction of the retail value for the stolen merchandise.
The defendants then allegedly resold the stolen items through McDaniel’s various e-commerce stores, including platforms such as eBay, Mercari and Whatnot.
Many of the products sold on these online storefronts were allegedly stolen by boosters from major national retail stores, Ferguson said. These include The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target and Best Buy.
McDaniel and Price allegedly sold the discounted stolen items to customers throughout the United States and several foreign countries. These sales generated more than $580,000 for the defendants.
Both men were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. This charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence if McDaniel and Price are convicted.
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