Teen Accused of Stealing Nearly $1M from Georgia Supermarket

A suburban Atlanta teenager has been arrested on charges that he defrauded a supermarket where he worked of nearly $1 million over a two-week period.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports 19-year-old Tre Brown was arrested Jan. 14 by Gwinnett County police on charges of felony theft. He was released from jail on $11,200 bail on the same day. It’s unclear if Brown has a lawyer representing him.

Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn said Brown stole more than $980,000 over two weeks in December and January by fabricating more than 40 returns for non-existent items.

Cash from the returns, ranging in value from $75 to more than $87,000, was placed on credit cards, investigators said.

Police said Brown used the stolen money to buy two cars, clothes, guns and shoes. Prior to his arrest, the teen reportedly totaled a Chevrolet Camaro that he bought, Flynn said.

The investigation began after employees of Cincinnati-based Kroger noticed the transactions.

Police said Brown stole the money while an employee tasked with flagging fraudulent transactions was on vacation.

A “large sum of money” was returned to Kroger following the arrest, but it wasn’t clear Thursday how much was recovered.