Office Supply Thief Steals $376,000 Of Toner, Sells It On The Street
Queens, NY – Some businesses may look the other way when their employees help themselves to the supply room, but one New York office could have saved itself $376,000 if someone would have paid closer attention to how much toner was being ordered.
Adrian Rodriguez, a 39-year-old Queens man, was recently convicted of stealing $376,000-plus of copy machine toner during his employment at a Manhattan law firm. Rodriguez had worked in the firm’s duplicating department for 10 years but got a little greedy toward the end.
He would order far more toner than was needed by the office, keep the excess, and sell it for personal profit. He’d reportedly charge about $10 a box for black ink, $15 a box for color. He apparently started his toner scam in 2010, so you can imagine how much he had to have ordered to rack up $376,000 in just two years.
“Theft is theft, whether of cash or office supplies,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.
“In this case, the defendant profited from stealing and reselling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of copy machine toner. Cases like this one, involving employee abuse, underscore the importance of reviewing company records in the effort to prevent employee theft.”
Rodriguez copped to the charges, pleading guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. He is expected to be sentenced in late May.
This is hardly the first time an employee has gotten away with a ridiculous amount of office supplies.
Last year, a German janitor admitted to stealing 25 tons of office equipment over more than two decades of employment. He didn’t turn around and sell the office supplies though. He hoarded them.
Police searched his home and found office supplies filling his living room, attic, and garden shed. He had pilfered toilet brushes, printer paper, hand towels, brooms, ladders, trash cans, and boxes upon boxes of pens, tape, and pencil sharpeners.
His haul was worth an estimated $333,000.
Do you steal office supplies? If yes, how much (money-wise) do you think you’ve gotten away with?
