In a shocking incident, one of Los Angeles' biggest sneaker resale names is suddenly at the centre of a massive federal case.
Yes, CoolKicks co-owner Bereket Abraham, along with 11 others, has been charged for allegedly taking part in a multimillion-dollar sneaker theft scheme.
Moreover, after a year-long investigation, the FBI and LA Police say that the group was involved in stealing over $2 million worth of Nike sneakers from a warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee.
The alleged thefts took place between July 2021 and June 2024, and later the investigation team revealed that about six former Nike employees played a role in the theft.Meanwhile, interestingly, as soon as the news of the arrests spread online, an Instagram user summed up the internet's reaction by calling it a "GTA 6 heist in real life".The case has now left netizens shocked because CoolKicks wasn't just another resale store; it had become one of the biggest names in the sneaker culture.
In 2014, Abraham and Adeel Shams started the business while attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.After graduating in 2016, they took a chance on Los Angeles in hopes of breaking into a much bigger sneaker market.
And that gamble paid off.
As the years went by, CoolKicks grew into a go-to destination for rare sneakers, attracting celebrities and creators including Mike Tyson, Lil Uzi Vert, Kai Cenar, IShowSpeed, and many others.Now, with federal charges looming, the brand is making headlines for reasons no one saw coming.This is not the first time when CoolKicks has found itself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
In October 2025, the Los Angeles Police Department raided the brand's Santa Monica warehouse, where officers recovered the alleged stone-washed Nike merchandise, including more than 2,100 pairs of sneakers and around 150 cartons of apparel, with an estimated value of $500,000.Following the raid, CoolKicks CEO and co-founder Adeel Shams and several employees were arrested on suspicions of receiving stolen goods.
At the time, the company pushed back against the allegations, saying in an Instagram statement that it had no idea a "small allotment" of the Nike products it purchased could have been stolen.Shams was later released from custody on October 3, as per As soon as the post surfaced on social media, it quickly sparked a debate online.
One user wrote on an Instagram post whose caption read, "CoolKicks co-owner Bereket Abraham is among 13 people federally indicted in an alleged scheme to steal more than $2 million worth of Nike sneakers from the company’s Memphis distribution centre.
Federal prosecutors allege the conspiracy operated from 2021 to 2024, with several former Nike employees using their access to divert high-demand shipments that were then allegedly resold through sneaker resale channels.
Abraham is accused of helping facilitate the operation by obtaining and using diverted UPS shipping labels.
The defendants face charges including conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property, which carry potential penalties of up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted."One user said, "They're the reasons why we've got to do raffles for the 12 pairs the store got 😂.""🥷 was too cool to buy the kicks himself 😂," one noted.One highlighted, "Wonder if CoolKicks will make a video about this 🤔."One joked, "A GTA-type mission right there 😂😢.""Those boys ran a heist on Nike before GTA 6," another added."GTA 6 Heist in real life 😂 I agree button --👉""Now we know they're 100% real shoes 😂 --👉," one said, and more such comments surfacedThe newly unsealed federal indictment also sheds more light on how investigators believe the alleged operation worked.
While the prosecutors claim that former Nike employees at the company's Memphis warehouse allegedly flagged specific products by placing shipping labels on the boxes they wanted diverted.Those items were then allegedly shipped to sneaker resellers across the US with CoolKicks listed as one of the businesses that received some of the products.After Bereket Abraham's arrest this week, CoolKicks addressed the situation on Instagram, saying that he denies all the allegations.
The company also said that while Abraham still owns shares in the business, it has ended all ties with him as the legal case moves forward.
