More than $1 million in tools was stolen from Milwaukee Tool, allegedly by an employee who shipped the tools to himself and others without paying, according to investigators. Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool discovered the theft this spring. According to a Brookfield police search warrant for bank records, the employee at the corporate office is believed to have “created and deleted approximately 115 orders from late March 2024 to late March 2025. Of those orders, 109 shipments were delivered … resulting in a total loss of $1,086,263.85.” The scheme went undetected by upper management for over a year until the employee ordered approximately 9,000 pounds of tools to be delivered to his Wauwatosa apartment. The shipping company questioned the delivery, prompting Milwaukee Tool to begin an investigation. Customer service could not find the order in Milwaukee Tool’s system. Investigators indicated in the search warrant that “due to the large quantity of stolen tools, he may have been working with businesses/customers to sell the tools in large volume and move them quickly.” The employee has been terminated and charges are pending reviews by the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.
