EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - An O’Reilly Auto Parts employee was arrested for fraud and theft after filing false car battery warranty claims and pocketing the cash, according to Evansville Police.
EPD officers were dispatched to the O’Reilly Auto Parts store on North Green River Road to investigate a fraud report.
At the store, officers were told that an employee, 40-year-old Andrew Manzella, had been submitting warranty claims on battery cores using the names of real customers.
After submitting the false warranty claims, Manzella would then remove that much money from the register, EPD said. Police say the thefts started in January and continued into August, with a total of $1,250 stolen.
According to EPD, Manzella did this five times until a customer attempted to file their own warranty claim, and an employee discovered that the claim had already been filed under their name, leading to an investigation that uncovered Manzella’s scheme.
In addition to documents containing the false claim dates and customer info, police say they also were provided with a statement of guilt that Manzella signed.
Before taking Manzella to jail, police say they also found a THC vape in his pocket.
Manzella was arrested and booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on charges of fraud, theft, and possession of marijuana.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - An O’Reilly Auto Parts employee was arrested for fraud and theft after filing false car battery warranty claims and pocketing the cash, according to Evansville Police. EP...