According to reports, a software developer from California, USA, has cheated his employer out of almost 300,000 euros. The allegations are strongly reminiscent of a comedy from the late 1990s. The money is said to be gone already – it must have all been spent on GameStop shares.
If the cake is big enough, you won’t notice if a few crumbs are missing, right? That’s probably what a software developer from the USA thought and allegedly siphoned off more than 300,000 US dollars from his employer (approx. 285,000 €).
As the US site Kotaku reports, they have access to some documents from Kings County Superior Court in California and if the allegations are true, the developer has almost recreated the plot of the comedy “Everything Routine” (eng. Office Space) (via kotaku. com).
When asked where all the money was after his arrest, the developer said the money is gone, he put it all in GameStop stock options.
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How is the developer supposed to have stolen the money? The software developer worked at Zulily, a US online retailer. There he had access to sensitive systems, such as setting prices and delivery costs. Apparently he was even able to divert cash flows.
He stole the largest chunk, $261,885, by skimming off delivery costs. Instead of going to his employer, the fees probably went directly to his own bank account.
In addition, the developer is said to have sent products home to himself. However, he manipulated the prices of his orders – he set the prices to cent amounts and is said to have captured goods worth a further $40,842.
A total of $302,278.52 is said to have been stolen over several months.
“OfficeSpace Project” – A story like something out of a movie
How did they find out about him? Zulily recognized the irregularities in the system and put a few employees on it. Including the accused software developer. In order to disguise his actions, he posted the missing amounts to customer accounts.
However, at one point a skeptical colleague went to his house to investigate. A lot of Zulily boxes are said to have piled up in front of the house and in the driveway. Then there was an arrest.
After being fired, the developer returned his work laptop, which was searched for it. Here they found a file called “OfficeSpace Project” – named after the 90’s comedy movie.
The public prosecutor’s office was able to understand the entire course of his fraud. It was even documented how the developer wanted to keep his actions secret from management.
Then there was a search of the apartment, during which, among other things, a folding sofa by Zulily was found – everything was still in its original packaging.
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The money went into stocks, the makings of a woman
What does the accused say? No charges have yet been filed as the investigation is still ongoing. But the developer has apparently already made a partial confession. So the money is gone – he has it all invested in GameStop stock options.
GameStop stock had a huge boom in 2021 because there was some kind of herd movement. In addition to “meme stock” investors, many novice investors have also invested in the stock. The stock has exploded to more than $480 from $15.77 at the time of writing.
He first described the products at the developer’s home as “test orders”. He just forgot to send them back.
He later admitted that he also ordered the products for a woman he knows through dating app Tinder. He wanted to show off and impress her.
How did that end in the movie? The film “Everything Routine” got a happy ending. The developers snapped up around $300,000, but saw their mistake, were purified and wanted to make everything clear again.
In the end, the office burned down, the developers involved ran out of money and found a new job. But nobody was arrested.
We’ll probably never find out whether the former software developer from Zulily is going to be as lucky. Because although he is confronted with a lot of evidence and charges, the investigators found a small excerpt in his “OfficeSpace Project” document: “Prepare a backup plan”.
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