How a worker used a fake name to steal 69 Apple devices from a Florida store, US cops say

A 33-year-old Miami Gardens man fraudulently employed at a Verizon store in Lakewood Ranch stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says.

Detectives say Nigel Thompkins-Wilson used false documents and information, including a Social Security card in the name Steven Edwards, as well as a Social Security number and date of birth not belonging to him, to apply as a manager at the Verizon store on the 1700 block of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in Manatee County.

On his second day of work, the sheriff’s office says he stole 69 pieces of equipment, including various models of Apple Watches, iPhones and iPads worth nearly US$64,000 (RM300,160).

Thompkins-Wilson was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office on Sept 10 and charged with a third-degree felony for using false identification to gain employment and a second-degree felony for grand theft of the second degree, according to Manatee Clerk of Court documents.

The maximum penalty for theft of the second degree in Florida is up to 15 years in prison or 15 years of probation and a fine of US$10,000 (RM46,900), according to Florida statutes, while using false identification is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, probation or a US$5,000 (RM23,450) fine.

Manatee Clerk of Court documents show that Thompkins-Wilson began working at the Verizon store on Feb 20 where, as part of the hiring process, he filled out and submitted employment documents and had an interview.

But detectives say he used false personal identifying information on his applications, resume, and his I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form.

Thompkins-Wilson used the name Steven Edwards and a false date of birth throughout the application packet, in addition to using a fictitious Texas Department of Public Safety Temporary Permit to further verify his identity to Verizon, according to the sheriff’s office.

On his second day of work while training for his management position, detectives say Thompkins-Wilson came into the store with a suitcase. They say he told other employees his belongings were in the suitcase and he needed to keep it with him since he had been staying at a hotel until he got an apartment.

At the end of the night when the other two managers who were training him left the store and Thompkins-Wilson was by himself, detectives say video shows his suitcase in the same room with the store safe. The safe, they say, contained the store’s extra stock of phone-related merchandise.

Detectives say the video then shows Thompkins-Wilson placing the merchandise into the suitcase before grabbing a plastic bag from the store and putting more stolen merchandise in it.

That’s when the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says Thompkins-Wilson left by the back door with all the stolen merchandise. He did not return to the store or answer his phone.

The sheriff’s office says the fraudulent Texas permit has Thompkins-Wilson’s picture on it, which the Sheriff’s office used to tentatively verify his identity.

Additional photos were then shown to the two Verizon managers who worked with him on Feb. 21 when the items were taken. Both identified the man who worked under the false name Steven Edwards as Thompkins-Wilson. – Miami Herald/Tribune News Service