A Memphis man was sentenced to federal prison in connection with a major cargo theft incident that took place in 2023.
On September 16, 2026, Gregory Luss, 44, was sentenced to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $420,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
On March 3, 2026, Luss pleaded guilty to possession of goods stolen from an interstate shipment.
The charges against Luss stem from an incident that took place on October 20, 2023, when a tractor trailer loaded with Water Piks intended for transport to Amazon was stolen from a Bledsoe Cove location in Memphis.
The same day, Luss posted a “large inventory of Water Pik products to sell on an eBay account registered to him.”
Officials said that many of the Water Piks were delivered to an unsuspecting buyer in Texas. Luss reportedly attempted to steal the Water Piks back after delivering them.
“When the buyer caught Luss trying to steal them, Luss attempted to escape in his delivery truck, hitting a warehouse manager with his truck before fleeing from law enforcement on the interstate, where Luss hit six cars carrying a total of 18 passengers,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cargo Theft Task Force.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Luss not only committed large scale cargo theft that harmed crucial interstate commerce here in Memphis, but also endangered and victimized multiple people in Texas while attempting to avoid capture and consequences. Instead of a luxury Water Pik, inmate Luss will now have a standard prison-issued toothbrush in the Bureau of Prisons.”
“Stealing from an interstate shipment is more than taking property – it is a deliberate violation of the trust and security that keep our commerce moving,” said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “This sentence sends a strong message: these crimes will be aggressively investigated, offenders will be held accountable, and stealing from interstate commerce will carry serious consequences. I commend the FBI Nashville Cargo Theft Task Force for their work on this case and its continued efforts to protect our nation’s supply chain.”
