A former New Balance manager was charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of shoes from the brand’s South Union Street factory store in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Wilton Suarez allegedly then sold the pilfered shoes in the Dominican Republic.
According to the Eagle Tribune, the 43-year-old was arrested on a warrant for larceny of product worth over $1,200 from the factory. It's worth mentioning that $1,200 is the minimum amount needed for a felony larceny charge in Massachusetts and does not reflect the total amount of items stolen.
Reportedly, someone tipped off security that Suarez was stealing two pairs of sneakers per day—for several years. He would allegedly bring the shoes to his cubicle and hide them (poorly, apparently) before taking kicks and shipping them off to D.R. for a fee. Security didn't just take the tipster's word for it, since Suarez was apparently surveilled for two weeks, and was seen putting unreleased 990 models in his computer bag before leaving work for the day.
It sounds like Suarez won't be the only one going down as authorities claim he is part of "an ongoing theft ring" and the investigation is ongoing. An eyebrow-raising detail in the police report was that Suarez was observed counting large amounts of cash at his desk before dividing the money into “individual packs” before leaving. Obviously, Suarez was fired after his arrest.
New Balance has yet to respond to our request for comment on this incident.
