In what could easily be the plot of a heist thriller, Antwone Tate, a recently ousted employee of FedEx, decided to take the notion of “job perks” to new and illicit heights. Operating straight from FedEx’s bustling Memphis Hub, Tate allegedly embarked on an unauthorized side hustle, circumventing the traditional corporation-offered benefits for more lucrative acquisitions—think diamond rings, gold bars, and vintage baseball cards, a trifecta of treasure that would make Indiana Jones raise an eyebrow.
The saga unfolded when FedEx’s Loss Prevention, the unsung heroes who likely wear capes under their polos, noticed an alarming pattern of package disappearances on May 27. Their eventual investigation revealed that these weren’t merely lost parcels but rather strategic bumper-picking, where Tate apparently had given a significant amount of thought, if not security, to his loot spree.
The first glowing piece of evidence? An evocative $8,500 diamond ring, which had, in the investigation, found its way back into circulation thanks to a local pawn shop. Like breadcrumbs leading to a gingerbread house of equitable justice, the gold bars valued at nearly $14,000 followed the same route. Each item cleverly, or perhaps naively, pawned using Tate’s very own driver’s license, practically opening the door for law enforcement with an invitation marked in neon letters.
Apparently, the ring along with those hefty, diminutive blocks of aurous allure was only the beginning. The full scope of Tate’s venture included a truly American twist—a package seeped in pure nostalgia and collector’s gold: baseball cards. Not just run-of-the-mill cards salvaged from dusty attics but elite players worth their weight in gold. Among the snagged cards, legends like a 1915 Cracker Jack Chief Bender and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb stood out, together valued at about $6,800. To sports aficionados, these aren’t mere pieces of colored cardboard; they’re historical artifacts worth salivating over.
In a stroke of what we shall generously call ‘entrepreneurial spirit’, Tate may have thought eBay was an excellent platform for resale. However, listing items under the name antta_57 appears to be a case where the criminal mind outmaneuvered the criminal’s attention to anonymity. The police, following digital footprints, easily traced this avatar back to Tate, sealing his fate with a slick dab of digital detective work. Ironically, it was almost as if Tate himself was unaware that anonymity doesn’t truly exist in cyberspace.
Charged with theft of property, the once unsuspected warehouse worker now finds himself in the bullseye of judicial scrutiny. Needless to say, FedEx has acted swiftly, parting ways with Tate with the corporate equivalent of a ‘don’t let the loading bay door hit you on the way out’. An official statement dryly reiterated that larceny isn’t exactly what they aim for in their employee of the month.
The incident has stirred up a flurry of sentiments, not just within FedEx, but among online shoppers and collectors alike. After all, the ease with which valuable items were swiped out under the shaded cover of logistical labyrinths makes one reconsider the safety nets of modern-day e-commerce and transport behemoths.
For the everyday consumer, it’s an anecdote of minor paranoia—might their long-anticipated delivery be the next cargo to pique a skewed entrepreneurial interest? Suddenly, that extra insurance option at checkout seems well worth the cost. So, next time your two-day shipping turns into two-week ghosting, maybe browse eBay—the only advice being, steer clear of listings from any handle suspiciously similar to antta_57. Or, amusingly enough, its potential successors, antta_58 and so forth.
Until then, let it stand as a humorous yet cautionary tale—a reminder that crime, in the interconnected digital age, leaves digital footprints as damning as the physical ones. And that while diamonds might glitter in less than legitimate settings for a brief spell, the long arm of the law glitters with unyielding justice.
