UPS driver arrested for stealing iPhones from his delivery truck

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Antonio Malik Hampton, 24, of Lake City, was arrested yesterday and charged with grand theft and falsifying a pawn transaction form after allegedly taking iPhones he was supposed to deliver to customers and pawning one of them.

UPS contacted Gainesville Police Department (GPD) on December 22 about an employee stealing packages from his vehicle while driving his route; UPS said that several claims had been filed for missing Apple products on the route, including four iPhone 14s and two Series 8 Apple Watches.

A GPD officer conducted a search for Hampton’s pawn history and found that he had pawned an iPhone 14 on December 5. The IMEI number of the pawned iPhone matched one of the stolen iPhones.

On December 30, UPS told GPD that Hampton was expected to work that day, so GPD made contact with him at the UPS office.

Post Miranda, Hampton reportedly said he doesn’t open packages. When presented with the evidence from the pawn transaction, he reportedly acknowledged pawning the phone. The officer reported that Hampton eventually acknowledged opening Apple packages; he said when he saw that two were watches, he threw them out of the truck. He reportedly said he had given the other phones to friends.

UPS is listed as the victim of this crime because UPS compensated the victims for the missing phones. The total loss to UPS is $5,358.

Hampton has been charged with grand theft over $5,000 and falsifying a pawn transaction form. He has no criminal history in Alachua or Columbia counties. Bail information is unavailable on weekends.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • There is always one every year who does this.. sooooooo dumb 😊😏.. bro they scan everything.. WTF??

  • my wife and i find open ups & amazon packages along nw 98st all the time. they must be looking for specfic items? we have seen cars making slow rounds in the neighborhood looking for deliveries on porches i assume or the drivers are throwing them out not wanting to deliver them. our country is in a rapid downward spiral, pretty depressing.

    • Tony Jones would hire him to work at Reichert House probably tomorrow. If any application process, he could use Lauren Poe as a reference

      • The nice gentleman/ex-UPS driver now in trouble will likely be offered a job as an instructor at Reichert House since he knows what it’s like to be in trouble and has already practiced not be accountable and withholding true information.

  • I can’t believe UPS compensated anyone. I had a samsung galaxy ordered and UPS brought me an empty box. THEN A TMOBILE Home internet box never showed up. They haven’t done anything and the tmobile box i have to pay for because they turned i. In on my Credit even though I filed reports.

  • Guess he threw that possible career out the window with those iWatches. UPS pays pretty well too.
    Quite evident that the lights weren’t left on for Hampton either.

    One question still remains, what Pawnshop was buying the stolen merchandise? If I remember correctly, isn’t there a process/timeframe by which they have to follow for merchandise?

  • No worries…..Gville passed the ordinance that employers can’t run background checks on new hires. So….I guess he can get another job and all is forgiven and Tony can continue his equitable ways?

    • You’re mistaken. They can’t run background checks prior to offering the job. The offer can still be revoked if drug test/background check doesn’t pass.

      • By that time, when they can legally run background checks, they’ve wasted weeks wading through applicants with interviews etc. for people they have no interest in hiring no matter how good they interview or BS theirs lies. Horrible ordinance created by ignorant woke fools that hopefully will be overturned by higher/competent government!

  • Chuck Clemmons here is your poster boy. He needs retraining in a new career field. Enroll him as a butcher student your new Springs County Slaughterhouse training facility in Newberry. Train him in the exciting world of meat cutting. A great use of my taxpayer money. Help him, Prizzia. IFAS rocks!

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