Amazon Workers Steal $140,000 Worth of Goods From Depot

Two Amazon workers have been jailed after stealing $140,000 worth of goods from one of the retailer's depots in the U.K.

The couple, Lucian Leonte, 37 and Maria Stricescu, 51, who worked at a distribution center in the village of Kegworth in the East Midlands region, were both sentenced to two years and seven months in prison at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.

Stolen items worth nearly £50,000 (around $70,000) were found by police at the home shared by Stricescu and Leonte. The goods included laptops, iPads, mobile phones, headphones, perfume, clothing and beauty products.

Police said that, in total, the couple had stolen items worth more than £100,000 (around $140,000).

Stricescu, who worked at the depot as a picker, had been "discreetly" stealing since July 2019 by manipulating the system to make it look like the items had been delivered to customers, police said.

Leonte, who was employed as a packer at the Kegworth facility, would then sell the goods and transfer the money to bank accounts in Romania.

The couple were caught in January when the police were called to an unrelated incident at their home in Derby.

Stricescu and Leonte had had a fight and, when officers arrived, Leonte told them about their criminal activities.

The officers then searched the property and a car outside, finding a large number of stolen items still in their original packaging.

Detective Constable Gavin Chantrill said: "Both defendants over a period of time abused their position at Amazon for their own financial gain.

"Neither took responsibility for their actions during the investigation and blamed each other for their actions. We are pleased they have now pleaded guilty to their part in the offenses."

He went on: "After a falling out between the couple, Leonte reported the offenses to the police. Following extensive enquiries by officers who worked around the clock, we were able to charge the defendants within hours of their arrest.

"The fact they both pleaded guilty to their parts in the crimes is a testament to the investigation team's hard work and the evidence they collated."

Stricescu and Leonte pleaded guilty to all charges during a hearing last month.

On Friday Stricescu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for fraud by abuse of position, removing criminal property from England and converting criminal property.

Leonte was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for fraud by abuse of position and removing criminal property from England.