Eads man accused of stealing $468K in electronics, selling them on eBay
EADS, Tenn. — An Eads man is accused of stealing close to half a million dollars’ worth of Ethernet switches from a tractor trailer and selling them on eBay.
Aubrey Brown is charged with theft of property. He is currently out on bond and is scheduled to be in court Aug. 9.
According to Memphis Police, an 18-wheeler was parked near a warehouse off Lamar Avenue on July 12. The driver told police he was unable to make a delivery and went to sleep, but when he woke, his trailer had been burglarized.
The Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force found 54 Arista Ethernet switches stolen, at a value of more than $468,000.
Antique car missing for 2 years after woman brings it to shop for repairs
Investigators found that Brown had posted the Arista Ethernet switches on eBay and had already sold 28 of them to various buyers. Police say the switches all had serial numbers matching the stolen items.
Ethernet switches manage the flow of data between devices, cloud services and the Internet. They are critical and they aren’t cheap — about $8,700 each, according to a police report.
Thursday, the Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force executed two search warrants on Brown’s home in Eads. No one answered the door there when WREG checked Friday.
Neighbors who know Brown said they were shocked to hear about the charges against him.
Man allegedly falls asleep driving, leads deputy on DUI chase, crash
Defense department revokes plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind
Brown reportedly denied stealng the switches, but admitted selling them on eBay.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
