GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — A Gwinnett County woman is accused of stealing the FedEx shipping number from a major corporation and using it to ship cupcakes across the country.
Gwinnett County police said a FedEx office in Tennessee intercepted what they thought was a suspicious package. It turned out to be a box of cake pops.
But along with the cake pops, police found a flyer for Cupcake Utopian, a web-based Lawrenceville company. According to the shipping label, it came from Verizon Wireless's corporate office in Alpharetta.
Police said it was a sweet delivery that quickly soured and landed 44-year-old Kimberly Zanders in jail. She is charged with felony identity fraud after police said she shipped her cupcakes via FedEx on another company's dime.
"Federal Express provided a list of shipments. They were all to multiple addresses across the United States," Gwinnett police Detective Seth Bailey told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh. "They contacted Verizon. Verizon Wireless verified that they never authorized package to be shipped to the individuals address listed on the package."
According to the Cupcake Utopian's website, Zanders ships her specialty cupcakes and cake pops across the country. According to the site's shipping policy, shipping charges were applied to all orders. FedEx overnight delivery was even offered.
It appeared Zanders had big dreams for her small business. On YouTube, Kavanaugh found her audition for the Food Network's reality show Cupcake Wars, but those dreams may be on hold.
Police showed Kavanaugh a surveillance picture taken inside a Snellville FedEx on Scenic Highway. They said the photo shows Zanders using the stolen account to ship a package.
Police said Zanders admitted to using it, claiming she didn't think she was doing anything wrong because someone gave the account number to her. Authorities believe it was going on for at least six months. Police said Zanders claimed she used to work for Verizon.
Verizon Wireless sent Channel 2 a statement saying Zanders has never had any affiliation to them. A representative told Kavanaugh they are working with FedEx to figure how much money was lost.
Kavanaugh attempted to track Zanders down for comment. She visited her Lawrenceville home and left a message on the business's voicemail but has not received a response yet.
WSBTV
