Man steals $40,000 worth of game equipment from Valve
A man has stolen $40,000 worth of gaming equipment from Valve’s headquarters. Stolen items include some Nintendo Switch consoles and Valve boss Gabe Newell’s minigun. The perpetrator is due to appear in court today.
The perpetrator is a 32-year-old man from Washington, Polygon writes. He gained access to Valve’s headquarters through a public restaurant through a stairwell. Via that stairwell he ended up on the eleventh floor of an office building where Valve is located. This floor is ‘not yet finished’ and is used for the preparation of trade fairs and conventions. He reportedly stole more than $42,000 worth of goods there, which amounts to 38,200 euros.
The perpetrator stole, among other things, 15 Xbox One games and 23 games for the PlayStation 4. He also allegedly took ’15 to 20′ Asus laptops, some Nintendo Switch game consoles and a number of Steam Machine consoles. Valve’s CEO Gabe Newell’s minigun was also taken. Gaming memorabilia and promotional gifts were also allegedly stolen.
Some of the stolen goods. Photos by the Bellevue Police Department
Court documents, which have been seen by Polygon, show that the perpetrator “stole so many things that he can no longer remember what the products are.” He says he put ‘random items in a trash can’, which he then drove out of the building to his car.
The perpetrator was recently caught on camera trying to sell stolen goods to a Gamestop affiliate. In total, the man has sold 43 games to Gamestop, for which he received a total of $336. Converted this is 306 euros. The rest of the stolen goods were kept in an “expertly stuffed Chevrolet Geo Prizm,” in which the man also kept drug-related items.
The thefts already took place last year, the American authorities report. An official charge was filed against the man on September 25. At that time, six arrest warrants were already open for the perpetrator, who also stole a FedEx truck earlier last year. The perpetrator is due to appear in court on Wednesday. If he doesn’t show up, another warrant is issued to the police. Valve has not yet commented on the theft.