Teenager Scams Grocery Store To Buy A Camaro

Things didn’t go so well in more ways than one…

Suddenly getting a huge sum of cash can be an overwhelming but welcome experience. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll spend the money wisely, which is exactly what Tre Brown, a 19-year-old Kroger worker in Duluth, Georgia, did after allegedly scamming his employer for almost $1 million in 2 weeks’ time. Among the things he bought was a Chevy Camaro. Then the teenager got caught.

Just like any inexperienced driver who has too much power in a rear-wheel-drive platform, Brown promptly crashed and totaled that Camaro. He’s kind of like the guys who steal Hellcats from dealerships, only to wreck out a few blocks away as they try pushing the muscle cars too hard, lacking the experience of how to keep it all under control.

Police say the Camaro wasn’t the only thing Brown bought with his ill-gotten cash. He purchased another vehicle, clothing, and guns. We certainly hope he enjoyed his short stint of wealth, because he’s going to be paying for it for some time.

Brown’s scheme was pretty simple. From late December and into early January, police say he made up over 40 fake product returns at the store where he worked. The items being returned of course didn’t exist, but Brown processed the return of payment on several different cards. Those amounts ranged from $75 to $87,000. We’re not sure what you can buy at a Kroger for that much, but Brown was suddenly into big money, $980,000 according to authorities when he was caught.

What Brown might not have realized is there are internal controls to catch irregularities like his fraudulent returns scheme. When other employees noticed the discrepancies, they called the police. After an investigation was conduced and Brown was arrested, authorities say they were able to recover a portion of the stolen money and return it to Kroger. Now Brown is facing a charge of theft by taking.