A teenager in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was arrested recently for allegedly stealing nearly $1 million from the grocery store where he was employed.
“Tre Brown, 19, was taken into custody Jan. 14 after scamming the Kroger on Steve Reynolds Boulevard out of more than $980,000 over a two-week period,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported Friday.
Police said the teenager made over 40 returns for non-existent items last month and in January.
“Those returns, which ranged in price from $75 to more than $87,000, were then placed on several credit cards,” the outlet continued.
Authorities also said Brown used the money to purchase two cars, clothes, guns, and shoes. Before his arrest, the teenager reportedly totaled a Chevrolet Camaro he bought, according to Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn.
The Gwinnett County Police shared a photo of Brown in a Facebook post on Thursday:
GCPD has arrested 19 year old Tre Brown after he scammed over $980,000 from the Kroger where he worked. He used the…
Posted by Gwinnett County Police on Thursday, January 21, 2021
The investigation began when corporate employees at Kroger saw the fraudulent transactions and notified police.
“Police said Brown, who they believe worked at the fuel center, stole the money while an employee tasked with flagging fraudulent transactions was on vacation for two weeks,” the AJC report stated.
A large portion of the money was returned following Brown’s arrest but the exact amount remained unclear.
“The amount of money that Mr. Brown took was just excessive in this particular case and obviously drew a large amount of attention to himself almost immediately,” Flynn told 11 Alive.
“So it wasn’t the crime of the century by any means as far as being able to get away with it,” he continued.
The teenager was charged with one count of felony theft by taking and freed from the Gwinnett Jail on an $11,200 bond, the AJC report said.
“If he can do it, some other people that are around him know how to do it too,” a concerned shopper told reporters.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.