Between October 24 to November 27, Rodriguez Okur kept approximately $890 in items and gift cards from Amazon packages he was responsible for delivering to customers. He would mark the items as "missing" during his delivery route.
The items included $250 in gift cards that Rodriguez Okur loaded onto his personal Amazon account, however, before he could use the value of the cards they had already been cancelled.
Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office were able to connect Rodriguez Okur to the thefts. After being arrested on Wednesday, December 11, he admitted to stealing the gift cards in addition to a Ring camera, Apple AirPods and a Playstation game. Rodriguez Okur is cooperating with deputies to recover the stolen items.
"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," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "We are thankful that all of the victims in this case were reimbursed by Amazon and that our deputies were able to take Rodriguez Okur off of the streets before he could pull another Grinch-like move and steal from anyone else this Christmas."
Sheriff Chronister wants to remind online shoppers of ways to protect themselves by following these tips:
- Keep an electronic receipt for proof of purchase in order to be reimbursed.
- -Track your delivery closely online to know when it should arrive at your door.
- Check home surveillance cameras, such as Ring doorbells, if packages don't arrive. Video evidence often helps law enforcement track down thieves.
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