GameFly Bandit?

[toef]

If this deserves to be in the off-topic, can a mod move it?

~~~

Apparently a Post Office worker has been intercepting GameFly rentals:

Originally Posted by Philadelphia Daily News

A former Postal Service mail handler admitted in federal district court yesterday that he stole 2,200 video games contained in envelopes addressed to Philadelphia-area residents.

Reginald Johnson, 34, of Germantown, faces from 12 to 18 months in prison under preliminary advisory sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller set sentencing for Jan. 13.

Authorities said Johnson was a mail-processing clerk who unloaded mail from tractor-trailers docked at the processing and distribution center in Philadelphia.

The feds said Johnson stole the video games, valued at $86,000, between April and September 2008.

The games were sent by GameFly, a company that rents online video games to subscribers through the mail for $15.95 or $22.95 a month.

The Postal Service's Office of Inspector General began receiving reports in late 2007 of missing GameFly mailings in Philadelphia, the government's plea memo said.

On Sept. 5, 2008, the inspector general conducted a surveillance operation of the center using test mailings.

Based on the surveillance, officials determined that Johnson was the culprit, the plea memo said.

Federal agents tried to arrest Johnson later that day as he entered his SUV in the center's parking lot, but Johnson sped off and later crashed his vehicle, the plea memo said.

Authorities said Johnson abandoned his car and fled into a neighboring yard with a duffel bag, which later was recovered.

The agents found 81 GameFly mailings inside the duffel bag. When they searched Johnson's SUV, they found a dark backpack containing 79 GameFly mailings.

Also in the SUV were five Nintendo Wii Sports, three Wii Fits, a Playstation console, game controllers and receipts from a business called GameStop.

GameStop customers can trade in used game DVDs to GameStop for store credit, which then can be used to buy other gaming equipment, such as Nintendo Wii consoles, the plea memo said.

Johnson told the court that he now works for Hatfield Quality Meats in Lansdale.

I found this story interesting, because I've only used GameFly for a couple months, but lost 2 games. One game was shipped, but never showed up at my house. Another was mailed back at the post office, but GameFly claimed to have never gotten it.

The other interesting part to the story is that the guy was supposedly trading the stolen games into Game Stop. Were the GS employees not suspicious about a guy who was constantly bringing in games without instructions or cases? It's not like he traded in a couple games... if he stole over 2,000 games, it's reasonable to assume he traded in at least several hundred.

[SGIBES]

what a douche

[Frenchy17]

Very interesting story Toefer! I have used Gamefly for almost 3 years and only one game got lost in the mail. They eventually received it like 3 weeks later though

[Sponge-worthy]

I have suspected similar goings-on with my mail delivery vis-a-vis Netflix movies.

[Xerios]

thats my area alright...

[Rblu-Dblu]

Originally Posted by SGIBES

what a douche

+1
that was going to be my quote exactly

[jamclaur]

-1... I wish I had 2000 new games... haha.

Nah, if it didn't negatively effect random people I wouldn't care that GameFly was getting ripped.

[ratandjmt]

I've been doing Gamefly for about 3 years now and only lost/not received 3 games. Guess 1 a year isn't that bad.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by toefer

If this deserves to be in the off-topic, can a mod move it?

~~~

Apparently a Post Office worker has been intercepting GameFly rentals:



I found this story interesting, because I've only used GameFly for a couple months, but lost 2 games. One game was shipped, but never showed up at my house. Another was mailed back at the post office, but GameFly claimed to have never gotten it.

The other interesting part to the story is that the guy was supposedly trading the stolen games into Game Stop. Were the GS employees not suspicious about a guy who was constantly bringing in games without instructions or cases? It's not like he traded in a couple games... if he stole over 2,000 games, it's reasonable to assume he traded in at least several hundred.

lol the funny thing is he maybe got 5-10% of the value at gamestop lol.

[Rblu-Dblu]

Originally Posted by supersix4

lol the funny thing is he maybe got 5-10% of the value at gamestop lol.

He probably had to cut a gamestop employee in on the deal.

[Another_Dude]

"Johnson told the court that he now works for Hatfield Quality Meats in Lansdale."

Actually, Johnson was employed there until this afternoon when the HR Manager for Hatfield Quality Meats read this story...and solved their "missing meat" problem.

[b0bby]

here at work, i see people drop off their netflix and gamefly envelopes in these open mail bins. i dont even work for any type of mail center and i could easily snatch these up. stupid bank employees using the interoffice/outeroffice mail bins as a personal mail box

[Rblu-Dblu]

Originally Posted by b0bby

here at work, i see people drop off their netflix and gamefly envelopes in these open mail bins. i dont even work for any type of mail center and i could easily snatch these up. stupid bank employees using the interoffice/outeroffice mail bins as a personal mail box

do you work at Wachovia CIC?

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by toefer

If this deserves to be in the off-topic, can a mod move it?

~~~

Apparently a Post Office worker has been intercepting GameFly rentals:



I found this story interesting, because I've only used GameFly for a couple months, but lost 2 games. One game was shipped, but never showed up at my house. Another was mailed back at the post office, but GameFly claimed to have never gotten it.

The other interesting part to the story is that the guy was supposedly trading the stolen games into Game Stop. Were the GS employees not suspicious about a guy who was constantly bringing in games without instructions or cases? It's not like he traded in a couple games... if he stole over 2,000 games, it's reasonable to assume he traded in at least several hundred.

Well the problem with game stores like Gamestop and Game Crazy is that it doesn't matter if you have instruction booklet or the original case just as long as you bring in the game. There is no limit to how many you can trade-in at once.

[OrlandoEastwood]

Originally Posted by toefer

The other interesting part to the story is that the guy was supposedly trading the stolen games into Game Stop. Were the GS employees not suspicious about a guy who was constantly bringing in games without instructions or cases? It's not like he traded in a couple games... if he stole over 2,000 games, it's reasonable to assume he traded in at least several hundred.

I find it odd how GameStop will take videogames without covers but movie stores who buy DVDs back will not take them at all.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

I find it odd how GameStop will take videogames without covers but movie stores who buy DVDs back will not take them at all.

Gamestop did the same thing with movies as well back in the day when they took dvd and Blu-ray movies in

[jw]

Good read, I had 17 Wiis stolen from Fed Ex facility in Philadelphia, so its a common thing in that region I guess

[Groo The Perverted]

I just signed up today and it's already going badly. lol

Those S.O.B.'s went ahead and billed me even though they're not supposed to bill me for 10 days. I wasn't expecting them to do that yet, and sure enough my account is overdrawn by 6 bucks.

*sigh*

[phlydude]

Reggie Johnson from Germantown...yeah, doesn't suprise me. Germantown was once a nice part of the city with grand houses that has become a low to low-middle income area. Just someone taking advantage of a situation to try to look out for themselves or the crew that they run with.

Now he works in Lansdale - that is a bit of a drive from where he lives. Must be tough to get a job when you run from the FBI and crash your car!
I'm sure they got him unloading the pig trucks that stream in and out of that place...my wife made us move from that area simply because she couldn't take the trucks all the time when she went back and forth to work and shopping.

[BluHavik]

Stole 86k and only gets at most 6 months before parole? American justice at it's finest.