Olathe Man Indicted for $275K Running Store Heist

Craig W. Sullivan, 41, of Olathe, Kan., is staring down federal prison after a grand jury indicted him on 10 counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud for allegedly stealing more than $250,000 in high-end running gear from the store where he worked. The scheme ran through Garry Gribble’s Running Sports, a regional chain catering to marathoners and fitness fanatics, where Sullivan managed inventory at the Overland Park flagship location.

Authorities say Sullivan exploited his access to shipments, siphoning off premium Garmin GPS running watches before they hit store shelves. Instead of distributing the gear to five Kansas City-area outlets, he shipped the stolen merchandise straight to a buyer in California who resold the items on eBay. Each transaction was laundered through PayPal, with prosecutors alleging 51 electronic payments totaling $275,780 — cold, digital proof of a theft that grew unchecked.

The indictment details a methodical operation: Sullivan used the U.S. Postal Service to ship the loot, turning a trusted logistics system into a pipeline for stolen goods. The U.S. Postal Service, ironically, became both a tool and a victim in the fraud. Investigators traced the payments and shipping records, building a case that didn’t rely on eyewitnesses — just paper, pixels, and a paper trail that led straight back to Sullivan.

If convicted, Sullivan faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count, plus a fine of up to $250,000 per charge. The stakes are high, the evidence digital, and the betrayal cuts deep in a niche retail world built on trust. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting; the U.S. Postal Service led the investigation.

This case stands alongside a string of other indictments out of Kansas federal court, including a bank robbery with a purple pillowcase, a spree of armed auto parts store heists, and a cocaine distribution charge in Sedgwick County. But Sullivan’s crime wasn’t about desperation — it was about exploitation of position, a quiet betrayal masked by routine.

As with all federal cases, Sullivan is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The indictment lays out the allegations, but the courtroom will decide the truth. In the meantime, the running community is left asking: how many miles did those stolen watches log before the feds hit the brakes?

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