Former Employee Pleads GuiltyTo Stealing Garmin GPS Devices

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A man who worked for the Garmin Company in Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing boxes of GPS devices from the company, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Terrence M. Heathington, 31, formerly of Olathe and currently of Atlanta, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. In his plea, he admitted that the crime was committed from March to September 2008 when he worked in Garmin International, Inc.’s warehouse in Olathe as a material handler. He shipped a large quantity of Garmin GPS devices to his personal address and the address of high school friends living in Atlanta. He and his friends sold the devices on eBay and to other individuals.

The thefts were discovered when a person who bought one of the stolen devices contacted the company. An audit revealed that boxes of GPS devices had been shipped to Heathington’s home in Ottawa and to addresses in Georgia, where Heathington had lived.

Sentencing will be set at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.