In a saga rich with audacity and glittering misdeeds, a Memphis FedEx worker seems to have swapped efficient parcel delivery for clandestine treasure hunting, allegedly swiping diamonds, gold bars, and vintage baseball cards that would make any collector’s heart race. As fascinating as it is disheartening, this tale of misdirected ambition revolves around Antwone Tate, a former FedEx employee who saw shiny things passing by at work and decided they might look better in his own hands.
The latest chapter of this modern-day heist narrative unfolded when FedEx’s sharp-eyed Loss Prevention team noticed a curious pattern of disappearing packages on May 27. Cue a bit of corporate sleuthing and they were led straight to a pawn shop. There, nestled among the pre-loved and previously misplaced items, lay a blinged-out lineup including an $8,500 diamond ring and nearly $14,000 in golden bullion—perfect for a retirement plan, had they not been stolen.
Astoundingly, Tate’s approach to offloading these glimmering goods displayed the hubris reminiscent of a caper character overly confident in their own cunning. Each transaction was linked directly to him courtesy of a driver’s license left at the pawn shop, leaving a paper trail as blatant as a neon sign screaming “I’m the thief!” Truly, if there were a course in Theft 101, this brazen blunder would be Lesson One: How Not to Pawn Stolen Goods. Spoiler alert: it escalated hilariously, at least for those not involved, into an anticlimax for Tate.
But our tale doesn’t end with just juice for the jewelry. In a creative extension of his loot expertise, Tate allegedly shifted focus to the realm of cardboard nostalgia. A package packed with collectible baseball cards also went mysteriously missing, only to turn up sold on eBay under the seller name antta_57. This slight pseudonym adjustment barely veiled the identity of Tate, whose audacity, it seems, knew no bounds. Among the purloined equinox of memorabilia were a 1915 Cracker Jack Chief Bender and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb, putting the cards’ combined worth at a cool $6,800. Despite the apparent cluelessness of listing these treasures online, some customers nearly placed bids on passions Tate had no rightful ownership over.
As reality caught up with him, Tate’s spree came to a screeching, ignominious halt. He now finds himself facing charges of theft of property, aptly branded the “triple heist” by those keeping score. FedEx, understandably dismayed at his creative interpretation of the job description, promptly terminated his employment and issued a statement denouncing his behavior—because contrary to any illusions held, pilfering is notably absent from industry standards of parcel delivery.
For Nashville’s law enforcement, the case might not fill cold case files, but it does reinforce a critical job perk of spotting dubious activities: satisfaction in barring a rogue associate from accessing future packages. Nevertheless, the notoriety of this particular FedEx worker now cements his place next to the likes of any amateur heister who mistakened opportunity for ownership.
From a lessoned society standpoint, this cautionary tale begs mention whenever tracking info suggests your package slipped into oblivion instead of your doorstep. Maybe that brand new item or vintage find has joined a rogue inventory waiting for its eBay spotlight. But fair warning—if you notice it listed under antta_58 or something equally suggestive, think twice about adding it to your cart. After all, you wouldn’t want to throw your lot in with someone already marked “return to sender” by the law.
