Amazon employee arrested for burglarizing distribution center

A man who worked at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Moreno Valley was arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of stealing more than $250,000 worth of jewelery and other merchandise from the facility.

Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said Miguel Angel Verdin, 40, was taken into custody around 4 p.m. at the distribution center, located in the 24000 block of San Michele Road.

An Amazon representative contacted the Moreno Valley Police Department to report a commercial burglary, and investigators began working with the distribution center’s loss prevention team.

Authorities determined Verdin was responsible for burglarizing the center, beginning sometime in 2014. Investigators searched his vehicle and home, located in the 13000 block of Black Elm Court, and found stolen property including diamond rings, watches, and other merchandise that was intended for online shoppers.

Verdin was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on multiple counts of commercial burglary and a crime enhancement. His bail was set at $250,000.

He’s expected to appear in court on Wednesday.