Employee arrested for $164,000 cargo theft caper
John Henderson III is charged with theft after authorities say he stole 1,386 cases of liquor from Settegast Rail Yard on December 31. Henderson, who is a contract employee for the Rail Yard, reportedly stole a cargo container loaded with alcoholic beverages. The cargo was being moved from Houston to Illinois when the alleged theft occurred.
A Rail Yard employee told investigators that after all of the contract workers left for the day, a semi-truck attempted to enter the property. Henderson allegedly approached the driver and let him through. Henderson told investigators that he did not allow the semi-truck to leave with the cargo container, but his phone records showed large amounts of calls made to numbers not consistent with his job. Investigators say cell tower data also showed Henderson went to the Acres Homes area, which is the same area the stolen cargo container was located. Henderson was arrested, but later released on bond. [Source: ABC13 Eyewitness News]
Online retailer’s employee charged with $100,000 theft scheme
An Amazon employee from Newark, Delaware, stole more than $100,000 from the company and tried to get $20,000 more before he was caught, according to Middletown police. Middletown police arrested John Montoro on Feb. 15 after their investigation. They said he falsified business records as an Amazon employee in order to steal the money.
Middletown police said he stole $100,000 between July and February. He failed to steal another $20,000 from the company, Middletown police said. Police did not offer details about how he was able to cheat his employer. Montoro was charged with theft greater than $100,000, attempted theft greater than $1,500 and two counts of falsifying business records. He was released on a $53,000 unsecured bond. [Source: Delaware Online]
Counterfeit merchandise spotter for your phone
The buyer of a new designer bag, watch, or other merchandise might later suspect or discover that it was a fake. More ominously, people die from counterfeit drugs on a daily basis. Globally, consumer counterfeit imports are worth just short of a half-a-trillion-dollars annually. The trade is growing, has spread to most industries, and counterfeiters always seem to be at least one step ahead of manufacturers. All that makes it tough for consumers to feel secure about their purchases.
“You can put it on a wine bottle, a gold watch, a painting… whatever. The label needn’t be larger than a comma. And, it is impossible to copy because the probability that two items share the same fingerprint is nil,” says Thomas Just Sørensen, a researcher and associate professor from the University of Copenhagen who, along with his colleagues, has developed the anti-counterfeiting system that they confidently refer to as “the world’s safest.”
The fingerprint, or “tag,” consists of a bit of transparent ink containing various microparticles that researchers can spray on a bar code on paper, for example. The researchers based their system on PUF (Physical Unclonable Function). Like a scattered handful of sand, the particles form a random, completely unique pattern of tiny white dots when applied. As there is no chance of creating identical patterns using this method, as it is impossible to copy. [Source: Futurity]
Police post photos, offer $5,000 reward for information
In New York’s Suffolk County, police released images Thursday of two men they said they are seeking in connection with the theft of two iPhones worth approximately $2,100 from a Hauppauge Verizon store in mid-December. A $5,000 reward will be paid to anyone whose information leads to an arrest in the Dec. 17 mid-afternoon thefts from the store at 534 Rte. 111. To send an anonymous tip, call 800-220-TIPS, text “SCPD” and send the message to “CRIMES” (274637). The images can be seen on the source website. [Source: Newsday]
Suspect arrested after scamming self-checkout
A Florida woman was arrested after a deputy said she bought over $1,800 worth of electronics while paying only $3.70 at a Walmart self-checkout on Monday. Cheyenne Amber West, a 25-year-old of Fort Pierce was arrested, and was charged with felony grand theft and felony shoplifting, NBC affiliate WKYC reported.
West’s crime was uncovered after a loss prevention associate at the Walmart told a deputy he saw West and another woman select a computer, video game controllers, and other merchandise from the electronics department. The women then covered the barcodes of the more expensive items from merchandise in the clearance department and took them to the self-checkout area. They paid a total of $3.70, which was $1,821 less than what should have been paid, according to an affidavit. [Source: The Epoch Times]
A new low: Girl Scouts cookie thief uses counterfeit money to pay
Girl Scouts were cheated out of some cookies when someone used fake money at an east Wichita booth over the weekend, police reports show. Seven boxes of cookies worth $30 were stolen from Girl Scouts of America, Wichita police reports state. The crime happened sometime between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on east Kellogg and involved an unknown suspect. The police report was made on Tuesday.
Police classified the incident as a counterfeiting and larceny from forgery case. Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland spokeswoman Muriel Boyce said the council was made aware of the counterfeit currency and instructed the troop to file a police report. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches five business skills including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics,” Boyce said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this is a real life example of how unethical practices can impact even the youngest entrepreneurs. Girl Scouts enables girls to overcome situations like this and persevere towards their goals. We are proud of the values the girls continue to exemplify despite setbacks.” [Source: The Wichita Eagle]