Florida teacher's $3,000 Walmart stealing spree exposes 'systematic' theft scheme, deputies say
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PALM COAST, Fla. - A Florida teacher is facing charges for allegedly stealing more than $3,000 worth of items from Walmart over the course of five months using different "systematic" theft methods, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Anthony Zaksewicz turned himself in on an active felony warrant on Tuesday, according to Flagler County court records. He was charged with grand theft in connection to the alleged thefts that occurred between May and October of this year. The 45-year-old filed a plea of not guilty on Thursday, court records show.
Zaksewicz, a Flagler Schools teacher, is currently on paid administrative leave for the alleged theft, a spokesperson for the school district confirmed to FOX 35 on Friday.
Photo: Flagler County Sheriffs Office
The string of alleged thefts – which all occurred at the Walmart on Cypress Point Parkway in Palm Coast – began in May, according to an affidavit from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. According to the Walmart Asset Protection investigator, Zaksewicz used "ticket-switching" and "skip-scanning" to commit the thefts.
Ticket-switching involves "using inexpensive tickets such as a Kool-Aid packet bar code to under-charge merchandise being scanned," according to the affidavit. Skip-scanning is when the customer "makes it appear as though the item was scanned at self-checkout when, in fact, it was not."
There were 40 instances of ticket-switching and skip-scanning that resulted in a total Walmart loss of $3,178.61, the affidavit said.
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Zaksewicz was seen on Walmart surveillance footage using "a bar code of a very inexpensive item (cupped) in his hand and (using) it to scan much more expensive items," the affidavit said. In addition to this and skip-scanning, he also allegedly "missed weight reads on produce items" and "unlawfully used an inventory control device countermeasure device."
"This ongoing and systematic course of action could not be conceived as a mistake, but quite purposeful to commit theft," the Walmart Asset Protection investigator said.
There were three separate 30-day periods where Zaksewicz allegedly "stole an aggregated amount" of more than $750:
- June 11 to July 8: $790.99
- July 22 to August 20: $829.63
- Aug. 26 to Sept. 24: $891.27
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Deputies caught up with Zaksewicz on Oct. 16 and informed him of pending charges the sheriff's office would be submitting to the State Attorney's office for review and consideration for prosecution. He asked deputies if he could contact Walmart to arrange financial restitution instead of prosecution, but they didn't budge.
"(The Walmart Asset Protection investigator) informed (deputies) the defendant already called her saying he made a mistake and inquired about making restitution, to which (the investigator) responded that Walmart desires to prosecute for all crimes committed," the affidavit said.
Zaksewicz's arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2024.