A former UPS employee is currently facing charges for the alleged theft and resale of Apple products valued at $1.3 million from a warehouse in Winnipeg.
Orville Martirez Beltrano, 30, is accused of stealing around 866 Apple items from the UPS facility on King Edward Street, exploiting his position as a local sorting supervisor—a role he held since 2013 until he was fired in January 2024, reports Global News.
According to court filings, Beltrano allegedly sold the stolen goods via Kijiji, accepting cash or e-transfers as payment. Investigations revealed that from September to January, Beltrano deposited a whopping $232,000 in cash into his bank accounts.
Beltrano was arrested by Winnipeg police on January 22 this year and is facing charges including theft over $5,000, theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and possession of proceeds of crime.
A search warrant executed on January 23 at Beltrano’s home and car led to the discovery of $9,000 in cash hidden in a Nike bag, a Mac laptop, and jewelry collectively valued at over $9,100.
In a recorded police interview, Beltrano confessed to the theft of the Apple products and the jewelry, admitting that the cash found was proceeds from the sales of these stolen items. Yikes.
Court documents also reveal Beltrano’s use of the funds to buy a home in Winnipeg’s South Pointe area for $630,000 in January and to settle the debt on a white Audi bought in 2021 for $60,000.
Prosecutors are now seeking a court order to seize Beltrano’s property, including his home, the Audi, the $9,000 in cash, and his bank accounts.
Apple is able to track stolen devices and it’s likely UPS can do the same. Hard to believe he would accept e-transfers for selling the goods–and the fact he didn’t think he would get caught for these alleged crimes.
