Florida man accused of stealing more than half a million dollars in potatoes and onions, DOJ says

A Florida man has been arrested and accused of carrying out a series of schemes that allegedly defrauded wholesale produce companies of more than $600,000, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Jason Canals, 39, of Spring Hill, faces eight counts of interstate transport of stolen property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. 

If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison. 

Prosecutors also said the government intends to seek forfeiture of any proceeds tied to the alleged crimes.

The alleged schemes used to obtain onion and potato shipments

According to the indictment, Canals orchestrated multiple schemes to obtain produce shipments from wholesale companies without paying for them.

In one alleged scheme, Canals used a company’s name and email signature block without authorization to contact produce suppliers and request shipments. While the produce was en route, he allegedly diverted the deliveries to a different location and never paid the victim companies, investigators said.

In another scheme, Canals sent companies false documentation that appeared to show he had prepaid for produce shipments when no payment had actually been made, prosecutors said.

Federal authorities said the combined cost of the produce and transportation tied to the schemes resulted in losses exceeding $600,000 for the victim companies.