A former Little Debbie delivery driver allegedly sold company snacks for cash at flea markets, then submitted invoices claiming the products had been delivered to retailers along his Pennsylvania route.
Police connected more than $13,300 in disputed invoices to stores including Walmart, Giant Eagle and Shop ’n Save.
The reported sales also increased James Powell’s commission by more than $3,700, placing the distributor’s combined alleged loss above $17,100.
Powell, 39, faces forgery, theft and business-record charges. The allegations remain pending, and no plea or court outcome has been publicly reported.
His Route Covered Stores Across Washington County
Powell worked for Stewart Snacks LLC, a snack distributor based in Richmond, Ohio, according to CBS News Pittsburgh. His duties included ordering, transporting, delivering, stocking and servicing Little Debbie products at retail locations throughout Washington County, Pennsylvania.
Police said Powell sold Little Debbie products for cash directly from his delivery vehicle at flea markets. He then allegedly created invoices indicating that the same merchandise had been delivered to established retailers along his route. The paperwork totaled more than $13,300 between July and September 2025.
Authorities have not disclosed how many invoices were involved, how much merchandise was listed on each one or whether Powell allegedly used real store personnel or signatures to support the transactions.
The Reported Sales Increased His Commission
The invoices also made Powell’s sales volume appear higher. Because his compensation included commission, investigators said the disputed transactions generated more than $3,700 in additional pay.
Police placed Stewart Snacks’ combined alleged loss above $17,100 when the invoice amount and excess commission were added together. The company’s owner told investigators that Powell was no longer employed by the distributor when the Pennsylvania investigation began.
An Ohio Investigation Reached Pennsylvania Police
The City of Washington Police Department began investigating in May 2026 after receiving information from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio.
The Ohio inquiry involved Stewart Snacks and theft and fraud allegations against Powell. The company’s owner provided Pennsylvania investigators with information about Powell’s responsibilities, route and compensation structure.
Powell was charged with forgery, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, deceptive or fraudulent business practices and tampering with records or identification.
Independent Delivery Records Can Expose False Invoices
Distributors can compare each invoice with a receiving record signed or electronically confirmed by someone at the customer location. The store name, delivery address, date, product quantities and receiving employee should match across the invoice, route log and proof-of-delivery record.
The Government Accountability Office’s internal-control guidance recommends dividing responsibility for handling assets, recording transactions and reviewing them so one person does not control every stage of a sale. For a route distributor, that can mean preventing the same employee from removing inventory, creating the customer invoice and approving the transaction without an independent check.
Businesses investigating suspected diversion should preserve invoices, route records, inventory counts, commission statements, vehicle logs, customer communications and any electronic history showing when records were created or changed.