Amazon Employee Exploited $350K In Expenses For Non-Existent Meals And Fake Happy Hours, FBI Discloses

An employee at Amazon Inc. AMZN reportedly exploited over $350,000 in fraudulent expenses during the company’s virtual induction events,

According to a Forbes report, during a period when Amazon’s ‘Escape Velocity’ induction events for new executives took a virtual turn due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the employee in question allegedly filed extravagant expenses for meals and happy hours, despite there being no need for physical food or drinks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discovered these irregularities after being notified by the catering and food delivery companies involved that they had no record of the employee’s expenditures.

The fraudster, who has not been charged yet and hence remains unnamed, reportedly used the illegitimate funds to finance a lavish lifestyle. The FBI’s investigations revealed purchases of a $55,000 Land Rover and three Chanel bags worth $18,500 combined. These items have since been seized by the FBI.

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The fraud was uncovered by Amazon's business conduct and ethics team in June 2022. Initially, the employee claimed the expenses were legitimate but later admitted to the fraudulent activities. The employee was dismissed after five years of service at the tech giant.

As of the time of writing, neither Amazon nor the Department of Justice has responded to requests from Forbes for comments on the incident.

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