A Florida man has been arrested for allegedly stealing over half a million dollars’ worth of potatoes and onions, according to federal prosecutors.
Jason Canals, 39, has been accused of running multiple schemes to defraud wholesale produce companies, prosecutors said while confirming the arrest on March 10.
In one such scheme, Canals allegedly used a company’s name and email signature to request shipments of produce without permission.
When the shipments were en route, Canals suddenly diverted the delivery away from the company’s premises to a new location of his choosing. It’s not clear how, but Canals was able to avoid paying the wholesalers for the product.
Canals has also been accused of giving falsified documents to victim companies as part of a separate scheme. The documents would make it appear as though he had prepaid for produce when no payment had actually been made.
The alleged schemes resulted in losses of over $600,000 for the victimized companies, including costs for the produce and its transportation.
The suspect now faces eight charges of interstate transport of stolen property. If found guilty on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in a federal prison.
Prosecutors added that the investigation remains ongoing, with the US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI conducting the probe.
The announcement comes weeks after a Florida man was arrested for allegedly using taco seasoning packets to steal thousands of dollars’ worth of trading cards from Target.
Keith Wallis, 39, was taken into custody after allegedly carrying out 75 thefts at Target locations. The stores were located across Florida, from Orlando to Miami.
According to a press release from Attorney General James Uthmeier, the string of thefts occurred between July 2025 and February 2026.
In his alleged scheme, Wallis would select large boxes of trading cards along with the 99-cent seasoning packets. Then he would head to the self-checkouts and pay only for the seasoning packets.
Authorities claim that Wallis would sell the stolen trading cards on eBay. The scheme allegedly generated nearly $40,000 in revenue.
Wallis now faces charges including two counts of felony organized retail theft, three counts of felony dealing in stolen property and one count of felony money laundering.
If found guilty, Wallis could face a prison sentence of up to 90 years.
The Independent has contacted the USDA and the FBI for comment.
