Theft Allegedly Inspired by Cult Movie Does Not End Well

Seattle police say tech worker tried to imitate the embezzlement scheme of 'Office Space'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2022 8:01 AM CST
Updated Jan 1, 2023 11:40 AM CST
Cops: Tech Worker Inspired to Steal by Office Space
A screen shot from the movie 'Office Space.'   (YouTube)

The inept criminals in the movie Office Space tried to embezzle from their company after being inspired by a scheme in Superman III. Now, in a case of life imitating art that was imitating art, a tech worker in Seattle is accused of trying to use the same scheme in real life. Investigators say software engineer Ermenildo Castro, 28, manipulated the software of his employer, online retailer Zulily.com, to divert money to himself, reports KOMO. Specifically, authorities say Castro diverted shipping fees that were supposed to go to Zulily to his own account. He also allegedly futzed with prices to buy $41,000 worth of goods for next to nothing.

All in all, prosecutors say he stole about $300,000, which, weirdly, is what the trio of workers at the fictional Initech of Office Space also stole, notes MyNorthwest. The kicker: When detectives confiscated Castro's laptop, they say his entire plot was detailed in a folder labeled, yes, "OfficeSpace project." When arrested, detectives say he admitted to being inspired by the movie, per KIRO7. Another weird footnote: When Zulily realized something odd was going on, they assembled a team to investigate—whose members included Castro.

"What happened in the movie was everything works out in the end—staplers [and] all," says Casey McNerthney of King County Prosecutor’s Office. (For those unfamiliar, a stapler figures comically in Office Space.) "Unfortunately, in reality, you don’t end up with Jennifer Aniston and a cult classic. What you end up with is two counts of felony theft and one count of felony ID theft." (More weird crimes stories.)

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