Trading Card Thief Nicholas Garrison Sentenced to 27 Months

TULSA, Okla. – The grim saga of Nicholas Ryan Garrison, 25, a notorious trading card thief, took a decisive turn today as U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced him to 27 months imprisonment for Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country. Upon his release, Garrison will be under supervised release for an additional three years and must cough up $298,771.90 in restitution.

The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) was first alerted to the crime in February 2021 when a gaming and trading card store reported a break-in. Video footage of the heist caught Garrison breaking into the store, smashing display cases, and making off with a treasure trove of trading cards. The audacity of the thief’s cuts led to his own blood, which linked him to several similar robberies across Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas.

Garrison, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, will remain in custody until transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for his sentence. His downfall was made possible by the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies that investigated the case: the FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Illinois State Police Department of Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Dallas Police Department – Texas, Crestwood Police Department – Missouri, Troy Police Department – Illinois, Great Bend Police Department – Kansas, McPherson Police Department – Kansas, and Bedford Police Department – Texas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case with relentless determination, ensuring justice was served for the victims of Garrison’s organized crime spree. The sentence handed down sends a stark warning to those who would prey on communities through theft and violence.