Hartford Man Admits To Ripping Off Amazon: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — An Amazon employee from Hartford pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to trying to defraud his employer.

David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said Terrell Kimble, 45, of Hartford, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Hartford to an offense stemming from a scheme to defraud Amazon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Kimble was employed by Amazon as a regional fleet specialist and an area manager, based in Connecticut.

Amazon operated an employee reward program called Peak, administered through a procurement portal called Coupa, officials said.

According to authorities, Coupa allowed certain employees, including area managers, to reward other employees on their work team for superior performance by ordering an item from Amazon for the employee at no cost.

Between approximately July 2021 and December 2022, Kimble placed at least 196 Coupa orders fraudulently, representing that they were to reward employee performance.

But, officials said, he had the products, mainly high-end electronic goods, delivered to his mother’s residence for his own use.

The electronic items included Apple iPad Pro, Apple AirPods Pro, Apple Watch devices, and Nintendo Switches.

Kimble was arrested on Aug. 15, 2024, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

He is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

For more information on the case, click on this link.