HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Land O' Lakes man is accused of stealing about $70,000 worth of laptop computers from his employer and selling many of them online.
- John Marlin Burwell, 50, faces several charges
- Company reported stolen laptops earlier this week
- Burwell was stopped in Pasco County, taken into custody
John Marlin Burwell was charged with multiple counts of dealing with stolen property, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Detectives were called Wednesday to a health insurance provider in Town 'n' Country after the company reported stolen laptops.
"It was discovered that the computers, totaling approximately $70,000, were removed from the IT department over the last few months and were being sold through the Facebook Marketplace and the OfferUp app," the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
With help from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Burwell, an employee of the company, was stopped Wednesday.
Five laptops were in his vehicle, and Burwell later admitted to taking the laptops and selling them online, authorities said. Twelve more laptops were found at his home.
Seventeen of the stolen laptops have been recovered.
Burwell, 50, faces more charges, according to investigators.