Truck driver pleads guilty to stealing over $30,000 in iPhones, iPads and other electronics

A truck driver in the United States has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $30,000 worth of merchandise from retail shipments, including numerous Apple iPhones and iPads, after investigators discovered hundreds of stolen items linked to his delivery routes in Louisiana.

Draterrius McCollough, 31, of Greensboro, Alabama, admitted to theft from an interstate shipment and possession of stolen goods in federal court before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson, according to a November 10 announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was also highlighted in AppleInsider’s latest crime roundup.

McCollough worked for a transportation company handling shipments for a large logistics provider. His assignments frequently involved collecting merchandise from a distribution hub in Baton Rouge and delivering it to a retail store in Gonzales, Louisiana.

In January 2026, the retailer’s fraud investigators noticed an increase in products that had been shipped to the Gonzales store but were missing when deliveries were accounted for. The retailer began investigating and contacted detectives with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators obtained a warrant to search an apartment McCollough leased in Baton Rouge in early February. Officers found more than 100 items stolen from shipments destined for the store, including numerous iPhones and iPads, approximately 50 pairs of wireless headphones and other electronic accessories.

Authorities also uncovered evidence that McCollough had taken a new iPhone 17 Pro Max from a separate shipment originating in Texas just days before the search. That phone had been intended for another store in Prairieville, Louisiana.

Federal prosecutors said McCollough possessed more than 200 stolen items in total, with an estimated retail value exceeding $30,000. Because the merchandise was transported through interstate commerce, the case was prosecuted at the federal level.

The guilty plea followed an investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. The Justice Department did not announce a sentencing date or sentence in its November 10 release.