HICKORY, N.C. — Marty Christopher McDaniel, 44, of Conover, entered a guilty plea in federal court after being accused of selling stolen goods from big box retailers across state lines.
According to allegations in the indictment, from 2020 to 2024, Marty McDaniel and Kenny Price conspired with each other and others to sell and transport stolen retail products through The Gold King, a business owned by McDaniel.
The indictment alleges that the defendants purchased retail products from boosters, knowing that the products were stolen. A “booster” is a person who steals goods and merchandise from retail stores and sells them to a “fence.” McDaniel and Price operated as fences, paying the boosters a fraction of the retail value for the stolen goods.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants resold the stolen items through McDaniel’s various e-commerce stores on eBay, Mercari, and Whatnot. Many of the retail products sold on thee-commerce storefronts included products stolen by the boosters from national retail stores such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy, and others.
The defendants sold the stolen items at a discounted price to customers throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries, earning more than $580,000 from the sales.
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McDaniel and Price were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, which, if convicted, carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”