Pokemon shop employee accused of card con

When Ryan Street opened a new Pokémon card store, he needed a whole new team to get the job done.

He was counting on new workers, new stock and a new store manager.

He didn’t count on a Poke-con happening right under his nose, or for the alleged culprit to open a competing store.

“It’s very blatant,” said Street, the owner of General Games, as he pours through CCTV.

“He’s not even trying to hide it.”  

Street is talking about Jonathan Thai who worked as the manager of his General Games shop at Highpoint in Melbourne’s north-west.

Footage from the security room shows Thai allegedly taking and counting $500 in $50 notes from a safe.

He notes down the details, allegedly claiming to be buying cards from a customer worth that amount.

It’s alleged that that customer was another staff member.

And according to Street, the cards were only worth a fraction of the price.

“Between the two of them they split the money. So she took $250 and he took $250,” Street said.

He confronted the staff member and after agreeing to being recorded, admitted to what happened on tape.

“He was like, ‘I’ll bump it up if you give me half’,” said the former employee, who we have chosen not to identify.

“I kind of agreed because, I don’t know, I was kind of scared of him.

“He would say things like, ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll just cut your shifts’, and he knew that I’m the main person in my family that has to provide.

“Honestly, I was kind of scared.”

Speaking about individual Pokémon cards, they said “the worst I’ve done is I’ve taken singles for him”.

Depending on their condition, Pokémon cards can sell for as little as a few dollars each or for millions.

YouTuber Logan Paul set a world record this year, selling his Pikachu Illustrator card for more than $US16.49 million ($23.35 million).

In the recording of the unidentified staff member, she claims Thai, her former manager, took “a big stack”.

“He was kind of bragging, like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna make so much money off of this’,” she claimed.

“But like, I stayed silent because I was scared of him.”    

Street alleges Thai stole his stock to help start a competing business.

“It’s very clear to us that he’s used the money and the product that he’s stolen ... to contribute to opening his own business, a competing business,” Street said.

That business is called Collectors Dynasty, a business name Thai registered before he was fired from General Games.

When A Current Affair paid the store a visit, Thai was alone behind the counter.

He claimed to have nothing to do with the business before asking A Current Affair to leave.

“This is not my business,” he said before shutting the door on our camera crew.

ASIC records tell a different story.

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Jonathan Thai registered the business name Collectors Dynasty in March.

That was cancelled in July, one month after Collectors Dynasty was reborn as a company.

Its two biggest shareholders are another employee fired from General Games and a woman who shares the same address as Thai.

Street has made a report to Victoria Police but fears his former staffer may get away.

In a statement, investigators said, “Maribyrnong Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating a report of deception at a Maribyrnong games store which occurred over a six-month period from January, 2026”.

“The investigation remains ongoing.”