A Bellingham man was charged for alleged thefts that spanned from Federal Way to North Seattle, reportedly resulting in a total loss of $18,426.80.
On Jan. 13, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) charged David Joseph Gama, 60, with three counts of first-degree organized retail theft. These charges stem from alleged thefts at multiple Ulta Beauty locations that occurred between Nov. 10, 2025, and Jan. 4, 2026. Gama is suspected of 24 thefts over those 55 days, stealing over 100 bottles of fragrance.
According to KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney, on Jan. 15, Gama’s defense made a motion to reduce or release bail, but that was denied, and he then pleaded not guilty. McNerthney stated that Gama remains in King County jail on a $50,000 bail.
According to the charging documents, Gama’s criminal record consists of five felonies, 19 gross misdemeanors and 11 misdemeanors. Gama’s earliest conviction was in October 1985.
McNerthney stated that in 2025, King County prosecutors charged 640 cases in which the most serious offense was an economic/property crime, and that was the highest number since 2019. A KCPAO graph shows that in 2025, the number of charged cases increased by 26% from 2024, when 506 property offenses were charged.
“These are not ‘just property crimes’ as we sometimes hear in court. These are real crimes that affect employees of businesses large and small, and those costs are passed on to consumers, or stores close,” McNerthney said. “There needs to be appropriate accountability, and King County prosecutors are one step of that.”
Details of the case
According to documents, Gama’s first alleged theft occurred on Nov. 10, 2025, at the Ulta Beauty at 13201 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle. In this incident, Gama entered the store with a reusable bag, selected four bottles of fragrance, placed them in his bag and left without paying.
Documents state that Gama then followed that same routine at 18 Ulta Beauty stores, all of which were in Seattle, except for one at the Southcenter Mall. This stint of alleged thefts ended on Dec. 14, 2025, when Gama was allegedly stealing from an Ulta Beauty in Seattle, and an employee called the police.
An officer then located Gama a short distance from Ulta Beauty, and he had bottles of fragrance from the store. Documents state that Gama had $1,678.80 worth of fragrance bottles in his possession.
Documents state that Gama was arrested and booked into jail, but Gama then committed five more thefts from Ulta Beauty locations, with the first occurring on Dec 18, 2025, and the last occurring on Jan. 4, 2026. It’s estimated that Gama allegedly stole $18,426.80 of products from Ulta Beauty from Nov. 10, 2025, to Jan. 4, 2026.
One of those thefts was at a Federal Way location of Ulta Beauty, 1800 S. 320th St. In the Federal Way incident on Dec. 26, 2025, at around 5:30 p.m., Gama entered the Ulta Beauty carrying a multi-colored gift bag that read “Happy Birthday.” Gama proceeded to place 11 bottles of fragrance inside the bag and then left the store without paying. In that incident, Gama allegedly stole $1,687 of fragrances.
Documents state that Gama has been seen in Seattle selling bottles of fragrances around Third Avenue and Pine Street. An officer in the charging documents stated that they believe Gama will continue stealing from businesses until he is held accountable for his actions.
