Florida Man Arrested for Stealing More Than Half a Million Dollars of Onions and Potatoes

Tampa, Florida - Jason Canals (39, Spring Hill) has been arrested and charged with eight counts of interstate transport of stolen property. If convicted on all counts, Canals faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Canals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Canals perpetrated multiple schemes to defraud wholesale produce companies. In one scheme, Canals, without permission, used a company's name and email signature block to send communications to victim companies requesting produce. While the shipments were enroute, Canals diverted the produce to a new location and never paid the victim companies. In a separate scheme, Canals provided victim companies false documentation making the companies believe he had prepaid for the produce, when no such payment was ever made. In total, between the cost of the produce and its transportation, Canals's schemes resulted in a loss of over $600,000 to the victim companies.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by United States Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.