Elvis Edgardo Soto, 20, was released on bail after being charged with third-degree grand theft, authorities say. (Orange County Jail)
Amazon's holiday marketing slogan is "Can you feel it?," but one now-former employee may have misinterpreted it as "Can I steal it?"
The former employee in Florida is accused of stealing nearly $4,000 in merchandise and gift cards and shipping customers empty boxes.
Authorities said Elvis Edgardo Soto, whose job was to pack items for shipping, took the stolen goods from the packaging line in a Lake Nona fulfillment center. Some of the stolen merchandise included several iPhone cases, an Apple Watch band, eyebrow pomade and a toy pony.
He was arrested Tuesday and faces felony third-degree grand theft, the Orlando Sentinel reported. He has been released on $500 bond.
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A public relations manager for the retail giant confirmed Wednesday that Soto, 20, “no longer works for Amazon.”
A loss prevention officer discovered the thefts after running a report for gift cards that had been redeemed within six hours of being issued by the facility, according to the paper.
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Two suspicious redemptions from Nov. 6 were linked to Soto – one for $2,000 and the other for $250, an arrest report said. Three more were later identified for a total of $900.
Soto admitted to the thefts and explained that he would pocket the items he wanted and ship out empty boxes to customers, the report said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
