In the busy corridors of FedEx’s Memphis Hub, where packages zip through on a relentless, merry-go-round of logistics, one employee apparently mistook the job for a side hustle opportunity featuring diamonds, gold, and rare baseball cards. Antwone Tate, whose resume has now been inadvertently expanded to include “alleged thief,” decided that some packages just had his name on them — literally and, more daringly, figuratively.
This unconventional employee perk scheme unraveled when FedEx’s Loss Prevention team noticed a few too many packages going Houdini on May 27. Their suspicions were confirmed as the team followed the sparkling breadcrumbs all the way to a local pawn shop. There, resting in the shop’s gleaming treasure trove, were the spoils of his personal postal escapade: an $8,500 diamond ring and close to $14,000 in gold bars. It’s almost as if disaster had tucked a business card into Tate’s pocket when he handed over his real ID at the pawn shop, warning him that using personal details while fencing loot is a rookie mistake.
If diamonds and gold weren’t enough to whet Tate’s appetite for risk, a third missing package sprinkled some sweet baseball nostalgia onto the scandal-laden cake. Included in this disappearing act was a 1915 Cracker Jack Chief Bender and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb card — relics from baseball’s golden days, worth approximately $6,800 collectively.
These baseball memorabilia, it seems, took a virtual trip from the warehouse shelves to the digital auction house of eBay under the rather transparent alias “antta_57,” as if holding a sign saying “I might be a FedEx employee with sticky fingers.” A short investigation later, and it was clear: the account was a direct line back to Tate, who may have confused clever with criminally convenient.
Tate now faces charges of theft of property for his triple play in package misappropriation. For FedEx, handling the aftermath seemed almost routine. They issued a swift corporate swipe, confirming that Tate is no longer enriching their employment roster and reminding the public—while perhaps through gritted teeth—that picking up packages and walking off with them for personal gain isn’t actually in the job description.
This high-stakes game of “finders keepers” brings to light a moral, if only there were an ancient line about toying with diamonds and trading cards. Alas, while there’s no proverb to cloak this escapade, one can’t help but appreciate the irony: a Ferris wheel of fate that ensured all packages must come full circle, however twisted the route.
The whole saga raises elements of a downright Dickensian drama transposed into modern courier chaos. For Tate, a possible behind-bars stint is far from a fairytale ending, but there’s perhaps a lesson buried in the glitter and nostalgia—should distance between retrieval and remorse be close enough for reflection.
While FedEx tightens its security measures like an eager scout protecting their cookies, other employees might now have a heightened awareness that isn’t paralleled by audacity. As for the rest of us, next time the delivery app states “out for delivery” and your eagerly anticipated package doesn’t materialize at your doorstep, scanning eBay for “great deals” becomes oddly relevant. Just remember, if you see a user named “antta_58,” steer clear and keep your wallet secured from this encore performance of delivery drama.