TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - An Amazon driver in Florida is accused of stealing about $900 in merchandise and gift cards from packages he was supposed to deliver, sheriff’s investigators said.
Ozcan Rodriguez Okur Jr., 22, was arrested Thursday in Tampa and charged with grand theft.
A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s arrest report said Rodriguez Okur took the items between Oct. 24 and Nov. 27.
He loaded $250 in gift cards onto his personal Amazon account, the report said. Stolen items included a Ring camera, Apple AirPods and a PlayStation game.
The Tampa Bay Times reports he marked the items as “missing” during his delivery route.
“We tell people all the time how to protect themselves from porch pirates, but it’s especially upsetting when the person responsible for delivering the package to your doorstep takes advantage of your trust and the trust of their company,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
Investigators traced the thefts to Rodriguez Okur and cancelled the value of the gift cards before he could use them. He admitted to the thefts and has helped to recover the stolen items, investigators said.
He was released from jail on Thursday. A lawyer for him wasn’t listed on jail records.
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