Dumb Criminal Tries To Pass Off Ice Blocks As iPads For Fun And Profit

from the the-i-is-for-ice dept

And here we go with another idiot criminal doing idiot criminal things. Every time we write these stories up, we're always left thinking that it can't get any stupider and we're always proved wrong. You'd think between the murder-plotting butt-dialers, LEO-taunting, and parish computer porn purveyors, no follow up act would qualify.

But then you read about an idiot trying to pull off postal insurance fraud by claiming several blocks of ice were actually iPads. Our story begins with Nathan Meunch, who walked into a UK Post Office sopping-wet, which he explained by stating it was raining when it wasn't, and then put a package on the counter which he said contained several iPads. He wanted to send this package via special delivery and fully insure them for the value of $4,000. After then claiming he couldn't recall what his own return address was, things went exactly as you've already guessed they went.

About an hour after Nathan dropped off his parcel and left, another post office employee noticed a puddle of water forming underneath the package. After investigating the cause of wetness, they discovered that the "iPads" were actually just blocks of ice. At that moment, it became clear that either something had gone catastrophically wrong at the Apple manufacturing plant, or that Nathan was trying to pull off a (terribly planned) scam.

But, because the Post Office is quite proud of their reputation for timely deliveries (snicker), and likely to make sure Meunch had all the rope required to build a super-awesome noose of self-destruction, they delivered the package anyway, which ostensibly no longer contained $4,000 worth of ice-pads. Right on time, the post office was hit for an insurance claim on the delivery. That's when the men were charged with fraud and the insults started coming from behind friendly lines.

The two men's scheme was easily exposed by the authorities, who charged charged both of them with fraud. At the trial, even Bennett's own lawyer referred to their plan as "rather pathetic." On Monday, August 12 of 2013, both Nigel Bennett and Nathan Meunch were sentenced to 12 months of community service, 150 hours of unpaid work for the court system, and a £500 (approximately $775) fine.

So way to go, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Enjoy all that unpaid labor during the summer hours. And if you get a little toasty from all the effort, imagine just how nice it'd be to have a couple of blocks of sweet, cool ice lying around.

Filed Under: dumb criminals, ice blocks, insurance, ipad, nathan meunch, post office