“I was contacted by a local jewelry store owner who suspected an employee of stealing jewelry from their store. The store owner asked if there was a way to check and see if this person was selling jewelry in the area. I conducted a search using LeadsOnline of the suspected employee and learned this employee sold 33 items dating back to the first month of employment with the jewelry store. The store owner began to search her files and learned items were deleted out of their inventory and/or placed on older receipts to make it appear that the items were sold. The secondhand business still had 21 pieces of jewelry in store. With the inventory hard copy photos, and the photos of the items at the secondhand business, we matched the items. LeadsOnline helped me compare her time card to show in 26 occasions the suspect took the items and sold them during her lunch break and then returned to work. The total amount reported in the 33 items stolen was $205,480, and the amount we recovered from the secondhand shop from the 21 items returned was $129,976. When the suspect was arrested and told about the evidence dating back to June 2013 with the inventory sheets matching the items she sold, she asked for an attorney.”
Det. Steven Espinoza
Fort Wayne Police Department
Indiana