rare Pok\u00e9mon cards<\/a> from a Meatpacking District shop last month was arrested on federal charges, The Post has learned.\u00a0<\/p>\nJulio Caseres Colina, 27, was picked up Jan. 21 for allegedly driving three others to Pok\u00e9 Court in the Meatpacking District \u2013 where they smashed display cases and grabbed about $116,000 in trading cards on Jan. 14, according to a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caseres allegedly dropped the crew about 400 feet away from the West 13th Street store, which they raided while about 40 people packed inside for a decorating event, according to the court doc.<\/p>\n
Julio Caseres Colina, 27, is accused of driving three robbers to Pok\u00e9 Court in the Meatpacking District \u2013 which they ransacked for about $116,000 in trading cards on Jan. 14, the feds said. The Poke Court \/ Instagram<\/p>\n
Some of the rare, stolen cars depicted the characters Treecko, Charizard, Pikachu, and Ho-Oh, according to images posted to the store\u2019s Instagram story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caseres allegedly waited for the suspects for about 7 minutes before whizzing the thieves \u2013 who had also stolen $1,000 from the store\u2019s register \u2013 away from the scene, the complaint said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He even drove the masked crew to the same location the day before the large-scale heist to scope it out, law enforcement sources said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caseres was willing to chauffeur the gun-toting crew because they\u2019d promised him \u201cgifts\u201d if they could \u201cpack\u201d their bags while riding in his van, the court doc said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stolen cards depicted characters including Treecko, Charizard, Pikachu, and Ho-Oh. The Poke Court \/ Instagram<\/p>\n
Caseres also allegedly served as the driver for the same crew on Jan. 9, when they stole Pok\u00e9mon merchandise worth about $11,700 and around $1,000 cash from the register of a Queens shop on 39th Avenue near 65th Street Jan. 9, according to the complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The day after that heist, one of the suspects allegedly gave Caseres about $100 for gas, as well as \u201cvarious items\u201d including batteries and women\u2019s clothing that he sold for profit, prosecutors said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He claimed he didn\u2019t know what trio was doing when he left his van, but investigators viewed the statement as \u201can attempt to minimize his involvement in the robberies,\u201d the complaint said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caseres was charged with Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, and aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery, the feds said. The Poke Court \/ Instagram<\/p>\n
Caseres \u2014 who has no prior arrests \u2014 was charged with Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, and aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery, the feds said. His bail status was not immediately known.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No other arrests have been made in the card thefts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in an Instagram post <\/a>days after the robbery, Poke Court staff thanked their supporters for \u201creaching out literally from the entire world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cThe sheer amount [of] well wishes, donuts, bobas, and other kind gestures sent to us over the last day is staggering,\u201d the post said. \u201cEveryone is physically safe and that is above everything, the most important thing.<\/p>\n
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