‘Office Space’ Inspired Engineer’s $300,000 Theft, Prosecutors Say

A software engineer transferred over $300,000 from his employer by using a scheme inspired by the 1999 cult film, “Office Space,” according to prosectors, The Seattle Times reports.

Ermenildo “Ernie” Castro, 28, was fired from his software engineering job at Zulily after being accused of editing programming code to siphon shipping fees and manipulate prices. According to charging documents, Castro stole about $260,000 in electronic payments and more than $40,000 in merchandise from the Seattle-based e-commerce company by introducing a “types of malicious code in the checkout process” that wired money into his personal account, according to the complaint.

However, unlike in the movie where all the incriminating evidence was burned in a blazing fire, Castro’s hapless scheme was detailed in a document found on his work laptop, say Seattle police. After the Tacoma resident was fired on June 9, a company review of his laptop revealed a document labeled, “Office Space project,” outlining his plot to steal shipping fees charged to customers. He later told police that he “named his scheme to steal from Zulily after the movie.”

Hired by Zulily in 2018, Castro worked within the company’s “Shopping Experience” team, according to the charges, and the scheme affected more than 30,000 Zulily transactions between February and June. Castro told detectives he used the stolen money to invest in stock options and that “the money is now gone,” according to police reports.

Castro is also accused of buying 1,294 Zulily items at significantly discounted rates, paying just over $250 for merchandise worth $41,000, reports state. Most items were shipped to Castro’s Tacoma address, say the charges, where members of Zulily’s corporate security team discovered boxes with company labels “piled outside of the home’s front door and driveway.”

Castro was charged on Dec. 20 with two counts of theft and one count of identify theft. According to court records, he is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 26.