An employee is facing charges in the theft of thousands of dollars' worth of high-end sports cards from a Broward trading cards and memorabilia business, authorities said.

Maximo Viani Otoni, 22, was arrested Thursday on a grand theft charge, an arrest report said.

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According to the report, the theft involves VIP Rips, a trading card business in Deerfield Beach.

The business' customer service manager said on Wednesday, a collector had requested expedited shipping of a Cooper Flagg trading card they'd purchased.

The card, worth around $3,500, couldn't be found and another employee said Otoni had been handling it, the report said.

A review of the footage from the camera above Otoni's workstation showed him seated at his desk with the card under his desk and when he moved, the card was no longer visible, the report said.

An employee questioned Otoni and he admitted he had taken the card and left it in his mailbox, where it was retrieved, the report said.

Otoni also disclosed that he had three other cards belonging to VIP Rips at his home, including a Lionel Messi card worth about $2,200, another Messi card worth around $70, and an ungraded Neymar/Ronaldo autographed card valued at between $1,500 and $2,000, the report said.

Otoni, of Coconut Creek, spoke with officers and confessed to the theft, the report said.

Six other cards were later found in his bedroom belonging to VIP Rips worth nearly $9,500 the report said. They included:

A 2021 Panini Donruss Optic Downtown Trevor Lawrence valued at $1,900

A 2023 Panini Mosaic Micro Anthony Edwards worth $1,500

A 2024 Bowman U Now Caitlin Clark autographed card worth $1,500

A 2025 Topps Chrome Cooper Flagg worth $2,200

A 2023 Panini One and One Downtown Variation Dirk Nowitzki worth $2,300

A Panini Prizm World Cup International Ink Raphinha autographed card worth $50

The total value of the cards taken was over $17,000, the report said.

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