A Florida customer expecting a laptop opened the delivered package and found a bag of popcorn instead.
When the customer confronted the driver, he reportedly denied working for FedEx despite sitting in a FedEx truck and wearing FedEx clothing.
That delivery became part of a broader investigation into 35-year-old Justin Varnes, a FedEx driver who admitted stealing packages from his route for about a month, sometimes taking the merchandise home and sometimes replacing it with something else before completing the delivery.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced Oct. 2 that Varnes and his girlfriend, 30-year-old Haeley Olson, had been arrested after investigators recovered roughly $10,000 in merchandise believed stolen from FedEx deliveries.
Well, That Was Unexpected
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FedEx began looking into Varnes after several customers reported missing packages or disputed deliveries, although the company initially considered whether mistakes by a new driver could explain the complaints.
That explanation became harder to sustain after a customer expecting a signature-required laptop opened the delivered package and found popcorn instead of the computer, then reported the missing laptop to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Video from Varnes’ truck later showed him stopping at a Marathon station in Ebro shortly before 10 a.m. on Sept. 23 and buying popcorn, while the laptop package was marked delivered about three hours later. When the customer eventually confronted him, Varnes reportedly denied working for FedEx despite the truck and uniform.
Switcharoo
In other cases, Varnes removed merchandise, replaced it with another item, resealed the box, and completed the delivery; one customer who ordered a new iPhone 18 Pro Max received a used Samsung phone instead.
Some packages were marked delivered even though the intended merchandise never reached the customer, while truck surveillance captured Varnes repackaging shipments inside the vehicle and GPS records placed the truck at his residence before he returned it to the FedEx warehouse.
FedEx interviewed Varnes on Sept. 28, and he admitted that for about a month he had been taking packages from his route and bringing merchandise home, including air-conditioning units, laptops, electric bicycles, an iPhone 18 Pro Max and a 70-inch television.
He also admitted replacing older personal electronics with newer merchandise taken from packages, then putting the used items into the original boxes and resealing them before delivery. Although Varnes knew the truck had cameras and GPS tracking, his probable-cause affidavit says he described the temptation to obtain merchandise without paying as “overwhelming.”
The Haul
Bay County investigators searched the home Varnes shared with Olson on Oct. 1 and recovered numerous items believed stolen from FedEx, including property that customers had not yet reported missing.
Olson acknowledged that Varnes had been bringing packages home and that both of them had used and benefited from the property. Varnes said she was initially concerned about the merchandise coming into the house but eventually became comfortable with it after realizing the items benefited their household.
The sheriff’s office valued the stolen property identified so far at approximately $10,000 and said the case remains active and additional charges may be added.
Varnes was charged with grand theft involving $5,000 to $10,000 and an ongoing scheme to defraud, while Olson was charged with accessory after the fact to grand theft involving $5,000 to $10,000.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.