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Milwaukee Tool $1M theft; former employee pleads not guilty
A million-dollar scheme came with more than just a hefty price tag. FOX6 News learned new details about a 9,000-pound delivery that led to criminal charges.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A million-dollar scheme came with more than just a hefty price tag. FOX6 News learned new details about a 9,000-pound delivery that led to criminal charges.
Million-dollar scheme
What we know:
Investigators said for more than a year, Mathew Yang of Wauwatosa stole from his former employer, Milwaukee Tool, over and over again.
Mathew Yang
Prosecutors said Yang used a Milwaukee Tool employee discount program to steal $1.3 million worth of tools. Investigators said Yang shipped them to 33 different addresses. But when the largest order was placed in March. It drew questions from a freight company which was contracted to deliver 9,000 pounds worth of Milwaukee Tool product to an apartment address in Wauwatosa.
Investigators said Yang worked in Milwaukee Tool's IT department. They believe he created and then deleted 115 orders before any payments could be processed.
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Mathew Yang
Milwaukee Tool fired Yang in April.
Milwaukee Tool statement
What they're saying:
A Milwaukee Tool spokeswoman offered the following statement:
"Milwaukee Tool terminated the employment of an individual following a thorough internal investigation which uncovered abuse of our employee purchase program. We have zero tolerance for theft of any kind, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement. As this matter is now part of an active police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment."
Milwaukee Tool
Dig deeper:
Police said a search warrant for Yang's bank records show his balance ballooned from around $2,000 in 2024 to more than 130,000 in April 2025.
Police say Yang also visited Potawatomi on "140 separate days" over the last year-and-a-half. Investigators said Yang lost $67,000 at the casino.
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On Yang's company laptop, prosecutors said Yang had a spreadsheet outlining Milwaukee Tool retail prices, the employee prices, and a column labeled, "selling price."
Milwaukee Tool
Investigators said Yang worked for Milwaukee Tool for eight years. Before moving to IT, Yang started in the customer supply chain, which police said gave him "intimate knowledge of the company's ordering system."
What's next:
Yang posted a $50,000 cash bond at his initial appearance in Waukesha County court on Aug. 29.
On Monday, Yang pleaded not guilty to the 14 criminal counts against him.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, as well as Milwaukee Tool.