Getting a steep discount on that MacBook you’ve been eyeing feels like winning the lottery. But 99% off? That’s either Black Friday fantasy or something seriously illegal.
The Discount That Broke the System
Matthew Lettera had the keys to the digital kingdom at Best Buy’s Palm Beach Gardens location. The 36-year-old “experience manager” allegedly used his supervisor’s register code to ring up deals that would make any tech enthusiast weep with envy. MacBook Pros for pocket change. High-end electronics at prices that defied economics.
Between March and December 2024, Lettera conducted 97 discounted purchases for himself totaling $81,717, according to Palm Beach Gardens police. He didn’t stop there—52 additional transactions for others added another $36,573 in losses. The total damage exceeded $118,000 from Best Buy’s bottom line.
How the House of Cards Collapsed
Every scam has an expiration date. Lettera’s came when his manager started questioning those suspiciously robust sales numbers in December 2024. You know how retail managers obsess over metrics—when something looks too good to be true, it usually is.
The investigation led police straight to the PayMore pawn shop in Greenacres. There, receipts, pawn records, and Lettera’s own fingerprints painted a clear picture. Those “discounted” MacBooks had found their way into the secondary market faster than you could say “employee pricing.”
The Bigger Picture Beyond Best Buy
Lettera’s case isn’t happening in a vacuum. The National Retail Federation flagged rising employee theft in 2023, citing inflation pressures and high turnover as contributing factors. When your grocery bill doubles, but your paycheck doesn’t, some people get creative with their employee benefits.
This former chef-turned-tech-manager joined Best Buy in January 2020, building four years of trust before allegedly exploiting his position. That timeline mirrors how most insider threats develop—slow trust-building followed by systematic exploitation.
Lettera was arrested on organized fraud charges, serving as a stark reminder: when you see electronics deals that seem impossible, they probably are. Your next “bargain” MacBook might come with more baggage than storage space.
