May 18, 2008
The (Everett, Wash.) HeraldNet: He's accused of stealing around $450,000 from grocery store coin-counting machines in three states. Local police believe Michael Burns, 39, ripped off the machines while working for Coinstar Inc. They allege Burns, of Maple Valley in King County, wore a company uniform when he walked into stores and used inside knowledge to break into the kiosks, according to court documents. When police arrested Burns on Friday, they confiscated around $130,000 in cash along with high-priced electronics and a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the documents said. Detectives still haven't accounted for thousands of dollars more that are missing. Police were alerted after loss prevention officers at Bellevue-based Coinstar discovered thefts at several of their kiosks.