Five Indicted In Alleged Multnomah County Retail Theft ‘Fencing’ Operation – KXL

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has indicted and arraigned five people accused of operating a large-scale retail theft “fencing” operation connected to a secondhand store known as Card Rhino.

Prosecutors allege the business knowingly purchased stolen merchandise at steep discounts and resold the goods for significant profit.

According to the indictment, Card Rhino — a secondhand store in Multnomah County — accepted new-in-the-box merchandise stolen from retailers by what authorities describe as some of Portland’s most prolific “boosters,” or repeat retail thieves.

Investigators say the stolen goods were either delivered directly to Card Rhino or first exchanged fraudulently at retail stores for gift cards. Those gift cards were then sold to Card Rhino. The store allegedly paid only a fraction of the items’ market value — in some cases, “pennies on the dollar.”

Prosecutors further allege that businesses associated with Card Rhino transported the stolen merchandise to related operations and resold the products online at substantial markups.

Search Warrants Yield Thousands of Items

On March 18, 2025, the Portland Police Bureau and investigators with the District Attorney’s Retail Theft Task Force executed search warrants at three locations tied to the investigation:

• Card Rhino/Next Level Cards, 12416 N.E. Halsey St., Portland

• Direct Deals HQ LLC/Limit Deals, 19300 S.W. Boones Ferry Road, Suite 2C, Tualatin

• Great Deals 2.0, 5305 N.E. 121st Ave., Suite 509, Vancouver, Washington

Police reported seizing more than 31,000 pieces of evidence, including approximately $14,000 in cash, gold and silver, as well as high-value new merchandise. Authorities estimate the total value of the seized property exceeds $300,000.

Defendants and Charges

Five people have been charged in connection with the alleged operation:

Nickolas Ragsdale (Case 25CR62909) faces 68 charges, including multiple counts of money laundering, conspiracy to commit first-degree theft, theft in the first degree, aggravated identity theft and identity theft.

Alisha Scott (Case 26CR06975) faces 37 charges, including money laundering, conspiracy to commit theft, first-degree theft, organized retail theft, identity theft and aggravated identity theft.

Aaron Scott (Case 26CR06966) faces 27 charges, including money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, theft in the first degree and identity theft.

Chris Woodley (Case 26CR06961) faces 14 charges, including conspiracy to commit first-degree theft and money laundering.

Michael Burgess (Case 26CR06983) faces four charges, including theft in the first degree, organized retail theft and conspiracy to commit first-degree theft.

All defendants have been indicted and arraigned. As with all criminal cases, they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The investigation remains ongoing.