JOHN COSTA (HCSO Booking Photo)
APOLLO BEACH — An Apollo Beach man has been accused by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on July 12 in the theft of more than $20,000 in scrap metal from his employer between May 7 and July 9. According to the HCSO report, John G. Costa, 31, removed the scrap metal without permission and sold it for $8,355 to an industrial recycling company. Costa signed the required affidavit provided by the recycler stating the metal was his. According to the report, Costa has admitted he took the scrap metal and subsequently sold it. Costa’s employer has since identified the metal as their property, aided by unique characteristics of the property involved.
Costa was charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, defrauding a metal recycler and for the possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, which the HCSO report describes as oxycodone. The pill was found in his pocket.
Costa was arrested in Riverview and booked into the Hillsborough County Jail. He is currently released on a $21,000 bond.
