Employee accused of robbing Coinstar

LYNNWOOD, Wash., May 14 (UPI) -- Investigators say a Coinstar employee stole almost half a million dollars from coin-counting machines in Washington, California and Oregon.

Michael Burns of Maple Valley, Wash., worked for the company in a warehouse in Kent, the Everett Herald reported. He allegedly used his knowledge of the company and its coin-counting machines and a Coinstar uniform to remove cash at a number of locations.

Burns was arrested Friday. Police said they found $125,000 in his bedroom, $4,000 concealed in his 2007 GMC Denali and $350 in his pockets. They said they believe he spent money on high-priced electronic items and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Coinstar, headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., operates kiosks in supermarkets where shoppers can get rid of loose change, in exchange for vouchers to spend in the stores. Customers typically pay about 8 or 9 percent of the value of the coins for the service.

The company got in touch with police after $17,500 disappeared from a kiosk in a supermarket in Lynnwood, Wash.

Court papers indicated Burns allegedly stole from 14 Coinstar locations in western Washington and others in Oregon and California. He was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.