David X. Sullivan, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced that Terrell Kimble, aged 45 from Hartford, has pleaded guilty to charges related to a scheme to defraud Amazon. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford.
Court documents and statements revealed that Kimble, who worked as a Regional Fleet Specialist and an Area Manager for Amazon in Connecticut, misused an employee reward program known as Peak. This program was administered through a procurement portal called Coupa, which allowed certain employees like Area Managers to order items from Amazon at no cost to reward other employees for exceptional performance.
Between July 2021 and December 2022, Kimble placed at least 196 fraudulent orders through Coupa under the pretense of rewarding employee performance. Instead of delivering these items to deserving employees, he had them sent to his mother’s residence for personal use. The products involved were primarily high-end electronics such as Apple iPad Pro tablets, Apple AirPods Pro earbuds, Apple Watch devices, and Nintendo Switch consoles.
Kimble was arrested on August 15, 2024. He has pleaded guilty to wire fraud—a charge that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Currently released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing which has not yet been scheduled.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force with assistance from local police departments including Windsor, West Hartford, and Hartford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller is prosecuting the case.
