Memphis, Tennessee, a bustling city known for its historical music roots, bluesy vibe, and vibrant culture, recently found itself at the epicenter of a different type of shuffle—one involving diamonds, gold bars, and rare baseball cards. No, this isn’t a juicy plot from a caper movie. This is the alleged real-life scheme hatched by Antwone Tate, who seemingly decided to add a bit more sparkle to his job as a FedEx employee.
Tate, while on the company’s esteemed payroll at FedEx’s sprawling Memphis Hub, apparently decided to redefine his job role, taking a brief detour into the unauthorized acquisition of parcels. Indeed, rather than ensuring timely delivery to FedEx's loyal customers, he allegedly opted for a spicier career path, helping himself to a treasure trove of packages. The loot included an $8,500 diamond ring, nearly $14,000 worth of gold bars, and vintage baseball cards that would have even the most stoic collector reaching for their wallet.
The plot thickened on May 27 when FedEx's Loss Prevention team nudged themselves into action, noticing an unusual string of package disappearances. Their detective work swiftly led them to a sparkly breadcrumb trail that wound its way from the delivery van to a pawn shop—the modern-day Aladdin’s cave for the sell-quick, no-questions-asked crowd. There, the dazzling diamond and alluring gold bars resurfaced, thanks to none other than the audacious Tate, who naively opted to use his own driver’s license for the transaction. A rookie error of sorts, in the grand criminal handbook.
The brilliance of criminal masterminding withered slightly with Tate’s next move: packaging off a cache of baseball nostalgia. Fond memories aside, this collection included a 1915 Cracker Jack Chief Bender and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb, valued at a whopping $6,800. These weren’t just some random cards tossed in for extra flair; they were the kind of memorabilia that cause grown men to swoon and wallets to spontaneously combust.
Naturally, the police, intrigued by this cardboard heist, upped the ante and sought the cards on eBay. Lo and behold, these prized possessions appeared under the seller name antta_57. A pseudonym? Possibly. An unclear choice for discretion, definitely. The account led them straight back to our enterprising Tate, turning the mystery seller into a case-closed headline.
Now faced with the unsavory charge of theft of property, Tate finds himself detached from the FedEx family. The shipping giant released an official statement confirming that Tate, along with his inventive idea of side hustles, is no longer with the company. In a corporate yet friendly reminder, they stated in unequivocal terms that “stealing” was nowhere near the job description and certainly not an endorsed employee benefit.
Amidst the business as usual at FedEx—with parcels clicked, scanned, and moved along conveyor belts and through sorting machines—a satirical shuffle through this caper serves a salty reminder: even in a world driven by tracking details and logistics, sometimes the package delivers the last laugh.
So next time your eagerly awaited package swan dives into the abyss of uncharted tracking, maybe take a peek at eBay, but with an eye of scrutiny. And above all, it’s advisable to steer clear of bidding wars against handles mysteriously similar to antta_58. For, as this tale teaches, even the most unlikely sleuth can sniff out a package-pilfering plot from the depths of the internet with surprisingly brute efficiency.
fedex card thief
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