Man charged with organized retail theft after repeat shoplifting at Ulta stores

SEATTLE — A King County man accused of repeatedly shoplifting from Ulta Beauty stores across the region has been charged with multiple felony counts of organized retail theft following a weeks-long investigation, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors charged David Joseph Gama on Thursday with three counts of first-degree organized retail theft.

The charges stem from an investigation that spanned 55 days and included 24 reported theft incidents, beginning Nov. 10, 2025, and ending Jan. 4.

Court documents say Gama is accused of taking merchandise from Ulta Beauty stores ranging from north Seattle to Federal Way.

Gama is accused of retail theft at the following Ulta Beauty stores:

• 15 repeat shoplifting incidents at the store on Aurora Ave N
• 5 repeat incidents at the West Seattle location
• 1 shoplifting incident at the Tukwila location
• 1 shoplifting incident at the Federal Way location

Investigators say Gama is responsible for $ 18,426.80 in stolen merchandise, and only $1,678.80 worth of merchandise was recovered at the time of his arrest.

A photo of David Gama. (Courtesy{ }King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office){ }{ }

One Ulta Beauty store manager told investigators that approximately $25,000 to $30,000 worth of fragrance had been stolen during the thefts.

Gama has an extensive criminal history in Washington state, according to probable cause documents. He has been arrested 50 times since 1985 and has five felony convictions, 19 gross misdemeanor convictions and 11 misdemeanor convictions.

Gama pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday.

A defense motion to reduce or release bail was denied, and he remains in the King County Jail on $50,000 bail. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

In a statement, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said most shoplifting cases are handled as misdemeanors at the city level and do not reach county prosecutors.

A graph showing property crimes. King County prosecutors charged 640 cases last year, where the most serious offense was an economic/property crime. In 2025, there were 506 cases (a 26% increase year to year), and in 2023, the number was 367.{ }

“The overwhelming majority of shoplifting cases are misdemeanor offenses under the law, meaning that they are handled at the city level and do not come to King County prosecutors,” the office said. “When you have evidence to show organized retail theft allegations in cases such as this one, a case is referred by police investigators as a felony referral.”

Prosecutors also pointed to a broader rise in property crime cases. Last year, King County prosecutors charged 640 cases in which the most serious offense was an economic or property crime, the highest number since 2019. In 2024, there were 506 such cases — a 26% year-over-year increase — compared with 367 cases in 2023.

“These are not ‘just property crimes’ as we sometimes hear in court,” the prosecutor’s office said. “These are real crimes that affect employees of businesses large and small, and those costs are passed on to consumers, or stores close. There needs to be appropriate accountability, and King County prosecutors are one step of that.”