Two Texas men face federal charges after being indicted In Kansas for allegedly stealing dozens of Garmin watches from a shipping container in New Mexico and selling them online.
According to the FBI, Gerald Ditz, 31, and Michael Alaniz, 35, both of El Paso, were charged.
Between May 2023 and May 2024, Ditz and Alaniz allegedly exploited their positions at a freight contracting company serving a train station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to unlawfully obtain Garmin brand watches that were in transit to Garmin’s warehouse in Olathe, Kansas.
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The indictment claims that Ditz and Alaniz sold dozens of the stolen Garmin watches to unsuspecting buyers on the internet.
The indictment also indicates that in addition to the watches allegedly associated with or sold by Ditz and Alaniz, other stolen watches from the Garmin shipping container have registrations linked to more than a dozen individuals (approximately fifteen percent of the workforce) currently or formerly assigned to the Santa Teresa train station.
Ditz and Alaniz made their initial court appearances in the Western District of Texas on July 29 and 30, 2024, respectively.
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