Lawsuit Accuses Nike Of Hijacking Millions In Sneakers During LAPD Raid

The owner of a high-end sneaker and streetwear resale business, Project Blitz, is taking on Nike and the LAPD in federal court, alleging that a 2024 warehouse raid unlawfully stripped him of millions of dollars in merchandise and effectively destroyed his livelihood. According to a newly filed federal complaint obtained by The Blast, California businessman Andre Ljustina claims that Nike, the LAPD, and multiple individual defendants violated his constitutional rights during and after a January 2024 search that resulted in the seizure of more than 5,000 items of inventory, much of which he says had no legal connection to the alleged crime under investigation.

Per the docs, Ljustina alleges that he founded Project Blitz in 2012 after years immersed in sneaker culture, ultimately growing it into a multimillion-dollar resale operation serving professional athletes, celebrities, and collectors. Before the raid, the company reportedly employed six full-time workers. It generated between $10 million and $12 million in annual gross revenue, with inventory including Nike footwear, apparel, and luxury items from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and Burberry.

That all changed, according to the lawsuit, when LAPD detectives executed a search warrant at two Los Angeles-area warehouses where Project Blitz stored its inventory.

During the raid, LAPD officers were allegedly accompanied by Nike representatives, who, at police direction, loaded all Nike-branded merchandise onto trucks and transported it out of California to Nike facilities in Oregon. The complaint claims this included apparel "such as jackets," a "wooden memorabilia box," and sneakers released years earlier, some of which were even signed by late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

The suit further alleges that large quantities of non-Nike luxury goods were also seized, despite detectives later admitting they had no basis to believe those items were stolen.

According to the lawsuit, the search warrant used to raid Project Blitz’s warehouses stemmed from a narrowly defined investigation into an alleged theft operation involving unreleased Nike footwear, not Ljustina’s entire business.

Court documents allege that between June 2023 and January 2024, Nike employees at a Tennessee distribution center were suspected of diverting unreleased shoes by redirecting shipments to a Los Angeles-area individual identified as Roy Lee Harvey Jr. The complaint claims the alleged scheme focused solely on unreleased Nike sneakers tied to that six-month window.

However, Ljustina contends the warrant affidavit did not accuse him of running an illegitimate business, nor did it claim that all of his inventory was connected to the alleged scheme. Despite that, the lawsuit alleges that LAPD and Nike seized massive amounts of merchandise that clearly fell outside the scope of the Harvey investigation, including Nike shoes released years earlier, Nike apparel, signed memorabilia, and luxury goods from other fashion houses.

The complaint further claims that detectives later acknowledged they had no basis to determine whether the non-Nike merchandise was stolen and that Nike itself ultimately concluded at least some of the seized items were likely legitimate and unrelated to the alleged Harvey scheme, yet the property was still not returned.

Ljustina’s attorney told The Blast that the seizure went far beyond lawful enforcement and directly benefited Nike at the expense of an independent business owner.

“Andre has had a lifelong passion for sneakers, streetwear, and fashion that started at the age of 5 when his parents let him buy a Nike Air Jordan basketball jersey. He turned that passion into a successful business, a business that immensely benefited Nike by boosting enthusiasm for its products. Unfortunately, Nike and the LAPD wrongfully destroyed Andre’s livelihood by taking essentially the entirety of his Nike collection without legal justification.”

The attorney added that, as alleged in the complaint, an LAPD detective later admitted that Nike had determined at least some of the seized merchandise was likely legitimate and not stolen. “Andre intends to get the justice he deserves,” the attorney added.

According to the filing, LAPD publicly announced the seizure on social media before Nike had even completed its review of the merchandise, triggering media coverage that allegedly caused immediate reputational damage. Ljustina claims business partners distanced themselves, brands cut off access, and Project Blitz’s operations ground to a near standstill due to a lack of inventory.

Nike and the LAPD have not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.