Charges: Worker stole $1M in hearing aids after getting layoff notice
Posted by CENTURY HEARING
Two Bloomington men are accused of stealing $1 million worth of hearing aids.
Authorities charged Thyvuth Lin, 56, and relative Laden Hot, 20, with a single count of theft over $5,000.
Hennepin County prosecutors said Lin worked for Siemens Hearing Instruments' Rexton division in Plymouth for 25 years until last year, when he learned he would be laid off then started stealing products from the factory.
The charges say Lin enlisted Hot to sell the hearing aids on eBay. Their alleged scheme was discovered when buyers called Costco (which sells the devices) about defective hearing aids, which employees learned had previously been sent back to the factory and weren't supposed to be resold.
The devices, worth up to $2,000, were priced between $150 and $500. A Rexton manager ordered one online; police later found cash and hearing aids worth more than $1 million at the return address, where the two men lived.
Police said Lin admitted stealing the products to earn a living after losing his job. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. An arrest warrant was issued for Hot, who did not show up at a court appearance last month.
Authorities charged Thyvuth Lin, 56, and relative Laden Hot, 20, with a single count of theft over $5,000.
Hennepin County prosecutors said Lin worked for Siemens Hearing Instruments' Rexton division in Plymouth for 25 years until last year, when he learned he would be laid off then started stealing products from the factory.
The charges say Lin enlisted Hot to sell the hearing aids on eBay. Their alleged scheme was discovered when buyers called Costco (which sells the devices) about defective hearing aids, which employees learned had previously been sent back to the factory and weren't supposed to be resold.
The devices, worth up to $2,000, were priced between $150 and $500. A Rexton manager ordered one online; police later found cash and hearing aids worth more than $1 million at the return address, where the two men lived.
Police said Lin admitted stealing the products to earn a living after losing his job. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. An arrest warrant was issued for Hot, who did not show up at a court appearance last month.
- Jim Hammerand
- Digital editor- Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
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