Employee charged with stealing up to $15,000 from Toys “R” Us
Jacksonville FL May 4 2018
An employee at the Towns Center Toys “R” Us is charged with stealing up to $15,000 from the store, which is shutting down like locations across the country.
“That is terrible,” said Loel Sosa, a customer. “That’s not good at all.”
John Lippy, 43, is charged with felony organized fraud and three counts of employee theft between $399 and $4,999, according to arrest reports obtained by First Coast News.
First Coast News reached out to Lippy, who declined to be interviewed at this time while he seeks legal representation.
An account under the same name appears on LinkedIn. The last job on the profile is an assistant store manager at Toys “R” Us. The page includes stints in loss prevention at Bealls and Sears, as well as numerous other positions with Toys “R” Us, including “regional investigator” in charge of camera installation, cash controls and managing store detectives.
The very first job that appears on the profile is Toys “R” Us associate in 1993. The year coincides with criminal justice studies at Carroll Community College, according to the Linked In page.
Now 25 years later, Lippy finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
Phone calls to the Toys “R” Us press office referred First Coast News to an email address.
An email to that address bounced back a generic response giving customers details on store closures.
It’s unclear if the press office did not respond because Toys “R” Us is going out of business.
