Man cons Florida UPS driver out of gold and is caught trying to leave country, cops say

A man who conned a UPS driver out of $20,000 in gold bars was boarding a plane out of the country when law enforcement caught up with him, Florida investigators say.

The theft happened outside a home in Tampa, and the arrest came roughly 1,120 miles northeast, in New Jersey, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 1 news release.

Vitalijs Apetenoks, 33, was arrested March 17 by Port Authority police “when he tried to leave the country from Newark Airport,” the sheriff’s office said.

Details of how Apetenoks was tracked down and where he was headed were not released. Investigators have also not reported whether the gold has been recovered.

The theft happened around 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 6, at a home in the 14900 block of Aire Place in Tampa, officials say.

“A suspect approached a UPS driver, claiming a package was his,” the sheriff’s office said in a March 7 Facebook post. “After checking the identification, the driver handed over the package, later discovering the I.D. was fraudulent. The suspect was last seen leaving in a blue 4-door vehicle.”

The true owner of the gold reported the theft, and doorbell camera video was used to help identify a suspect, officials say.

A warrant for Apetenoks was issued March 13. He has been charged with fraudulent use of personal information, organized fraud $20,000 to $50,000, and second-degree grand theft, officials said. All three charges are felonies.

Apetenoks was booked March 23 into the Hillsborough County jail, which lists him as a self-employed roofer with no permanent address.

This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Man cons Florida UPS driver out of gold and is caught trying to leave country, cops say."