WHITESTOWN, Ind. -- A former employee at the Amazon fulfillment center in Whitestown has been charged with theft after he reportedly stole more than $86,000 in phones and other electronics from the facility.
According to court documents, filed on Tuesday in Boone County, 27-year-old Byaombe Asukulu was charged with one count of theft, value of property greater than $50,000, a Level 5 felony.
On April 25, an officer with the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department was called to the Amazon facility in Whitestown on a report that a theft had occurred at the site.
The documents claim that Asukulu had stolen $86,578.32 worth of cell phones and electronic devices from various makers that were housed at the facility's high-value products area from April 12 to April 24, including:
- Multiple Samsung Galaxy phones
- Multiple Apple iPhones
- Apple Airpods
The documents said that around $7,059.95 of the product was recovered from Asukulu.
The Amazon facility first began an investigation into Asukulu on April 12 when they were first notified about items going missing. During the time period, officials said that Asukulu would "act as though he was picking items for delivery but did not scan them out of inventory."
When officials from Amazon attempted to speak with Asukulu regarding the allegations, the documents read that Asukulu "ran from (them)" and went to his car. Officials with the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department obtained surveillance footage that reportedly shows Asukulu stealing the items from inventory.
On April 24, the documents said that police attempted to interview Asukulu about the allegations, stating that he "fled the premises" when they attempted to conduct the interview. Police reportedly attempted to call Asukulu but he did not return the call, or provide a written statement.
The documents said that Asukulu's position at the facility was terminated.