Story by Ethan
On July 23rd, 2025, the arrest of Asraf Mohamed, age 33, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Asraf Mohamed was charged with second-degree Grand Larceny and second-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property. The arrest and charges against Asraf Mohamed were a result of an investigation handled by the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force Detective Michael McCaffrey, Sergeant Rashawn Vaughn, Commanding Officer of the Financial Crimes Task Force Captain Rennae Francis, Commanding Officer of the Crimes Against Persons Unit Deputy Chief John Mastronardi, members of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations New York – Financial Group III, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, and the Port Authority Police Department.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Asraf Mohamed was previously an Amazon employee from July 2020 to September 2023 before he was terminated. He was previously responsible for training new drivers and had access to a national database containing information of other Amazon employees. From November 12th, 2022, to June 9th, 2023, Asraf Mohamed allegedly created 1,838 different accounts on Zappos.com, which is an Amazon subsidiary used in correspondence with the information of several new employees. Zappos.com was purposed with providing workers with free pairs of work boots and sneakers allowed to be worn while working in Amazon warehouses. 79 shoe orders were delivered to Asraf Mohamed’s address, and the other 1,759 were brought to the defendant’s brother’s address in Queens, New York. Footwear delivered to the defendant included brand names like Timberland, Dr. Martens, Wolverine Carhartt, New Balance, and Brooks. Asraf Mohamed allegedly then sold the shoes on eBay for $224,834 before being arrested by the NYPD outside his house on the morning of July 22nd, 2025.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Asraf Mohamed are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
