Maykol Montilla, a long-time employee at City Furniture's corporate warehouse, has been arrested for grand theft after admitting to stealing over $70,000 worth of lithium batteries from the company. The batteries, which power reclining couches, were sold on eBay over a span of three years.
The thefts were uncovered when one of City Furniture's vendors noticed a brand of battery used in their couches for sale on eBay. The vendor traced the serial number to City Furniture's inventory and informed the company. An internal investigation revealed that Montilla's eBay account, under the username "ralphb1187", had sold hundreds of batteries. The company confirmed that the batteries listed for sale were from its stock.
Montilla, aged 34 and from Davie, confessed to removing the batteries from the warehouse and selling them online for approximately $200 each. The total proceeds from the theft were estimated at over $73,000. The thefts stopped after March 11, 2025, when the batteries were moved to a monitored area and the eBay account ceased listing the stolen goods.
Montilla was arrested and later released on a $15,000 bond. The investigation confirmed that the stolen items had been shipped out as individual eBay orders, following Montilla's actions.
City Furniture has stated that the thefts ceased once measures were implemented to prevent further incidents.
Source: www.tamaractalk.com