A Delta Air Lines employee based in Minneapolis has been charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of airline property, which he then sold on eBay, following an investigation by the airline’s internal security department.
Investigators launched a probe after identifying an eBay account that was selling Delta property, including inventory that was intended as employee gifts, that had been reported as missing.
40-year-old Ahmad Ali Harfoush from Burnsville, Minnesota, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine if he is found guilty of felony theft following his arrest earlier this year.
Harfoush worked as a shop equipment technician and is said to have had access to expensive Delta inventory that he allegedly stole for nearly a year beginning in June 2023.
It wasn’t until May 7, 2024, however, that Delta’s internal security team identified an eBay account that was potentially being used to sell the missing inventory.
Harfoush was quickly identified as the suspect behind the eBay account and airport police at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport arrested him while he was at work on May 13.
Police conducted a search of Harfoush’s home and allegedly discovered $49,852.31 worth of property belonging to Delta Air Lines in his house. A further $5,422.78 of property belonging to the Atlanta-based carrier was found in his car, investigators claim.
Alongside the stolen property, detectives also seized shipping labels and mail packaging, which they claim was used by Harfoush in his criminal plot to sell the stolen inventory on eBay.
eBay records obtained by airport police reveal that Harfoush sold items worth $70,820.77 via the platform in an eleven month period between June 2023 and May 2024.
The true value of the goods sold, however, is estimated to have been worth more than $106,000. The money obtained from the eBay account linked to the stolen goods was then forwarded to Harfoush’s personal bank account.
Following his arrest, Harfoush was allowed to make a phone call, which was recorded. Investigators claim that in the recording, Harfoush admits: “It started as something simple, and then I just got greedy. I need treatment for this… theft. Like, what the f*** am I thinking?”
Harfoush is due to appear in court later this month.
