In what might sound like the plot of a heist movie, a FedEx employee in Memphis recently attempted a decidedly unorthodox career shift—from delivering packages to pilfering them. Antwone Tate stands accused of helping himself to the contents of several packages, including a glittering diamond ring, stacks of gold bars, and rare, vintage baseball cards. It’s a tale filled with daring antics and a less-than-cunning criminal mastermind.
The story begins with the spotlight on Tate while he was still clocking in at FedEx. According to company officials, the alarm bells started ringing on May 27 when the Loss Prevention team at the bustling Memphis Hub noticed an unusual spate of package vanishings. Intrigued, they decided to play detective, tracing the sparkling breadcrumbs back to a local pawn shop. Lo and behold, both the absconded $8,500 diamond ring and nearly $14,000 worth of gold bars had turned up there, rekindling Tate’s proverbial get-rich-quick philosophy.
In a bold move, Tate had used his actual driver’s license when redeeming these treasures. It appears that either his job required him to be forthright, or he underestimated how long his luck—currently cringing in the shadows—would last. Either way, clear identification was provided, making it less of a whodunit and more of a “Well, obviously.”
However, as any dedicated crime aficionado knows, heists are glitzy affairs best conducted with a sense of theater. Clearly unfazed by his successful flash of amateurism, Tate ventured further into the realm of ostentatious acquisition with his next target: a parcel containing a veritable goldmine of baseball memorabilia. Alas, its contents went missing, too, aligning with the fates previously sealed by Tate’s sticky fingers.
The nostalgia-packed package included treasures such as a 1915 Cracker Jack Chief Bender and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb card. Even by baseball card standards, these are headliners, hacienda for any keen collectors with over $6,800 to spare on cardboard nostalgia. With brazen audacity—or unchecked compulsion—these illustrious relics found a new home on eBay, bizarrely listed under the seller name antta_57. It’s not merely the transparent approach that intrigues; it’s the ease with which a criminal’s intentions can sometimes be puzzled out with a smartphone.
Alas, poor Tate’s alchemy didn’t account for the swift hand of justice—or online sleuths. His account, naturally, traced right back to his doorstep, shrinking the bubble of his clandestine enterprise to smaller than a baseball mit.
As the FedEx drama unfolded like a gripping Netflix series, police seized the threads of the investigation, knitting together Tate’s roles both as suspect and veritable e-commerce tycoon. Now facing charges of theft of property, his career—buds clipped as he now joins the unemployed—has taken a hard right turn off Delivery Street and straight into the courtroom.
FedEx, renowned for their efficiency in deliveries spanning continents, embraced their spokesperson role, confirming Tate’s farewell from their ranks. Their statement, a subtle reminder of humanity’s moral compass, underscored that pilfering ranks highly among list-topping no-nos in any reputable courier service.
So, dear reader, if your spirits sink the next time you find a courier’s promise of delivery unfulfilled, take a comforting pause. While it’s tempting to imagine your Irish tea set or rare vinyl now auctioned and eternally lost to the highest bidder, rest assured—FedEx is keeping a watchful eye and re-stitching their fabric of integrity. As tales of mischief and misdemeanors percolate in the modern world, there’s a lesson for everyone—sometimes, the biggest score is staying true to one’s job description. And for any enterprising soul on eBay, steer clear of antta_58—just to be safe.
