ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. – An Indiana State trooper accused of theft attempted to defraud a company out of more than $800, investigators say.

Andrew Kocsis, 39, is charged with felony counts of theft and obstruction of justice, along with a misdemeanor count of fraud. Kocsis has served as an ISP trooper for 17 years and was most recently assigned to the General Headquarters in Indianapolis.

The charges surround a JBL-brand rally bar—a soundbar that can be attached to utility vehicles that costs about $810.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Kocsis ordered the rally bar from a Minnesota company in September 2024.

When the package arrived at his home, he claimed the box contained landscaping paving bricks, implying that someone had stolen the rally bar and swapped it out with the pavers. He emailed the company photos of the package.

An employee responded with a message stating that he would contact UPS and have the police investigate the matter. The employee added that he didn’t see any damage to the box, which would indicate that it had been damaged or tampered with during shipping. He also noted that the paving stones would’ve destroyed the box if they’d been rattling around inside during shipping.

A photo from UPS confirmed delivery of the package on Sept. 5, 2024.

Kocsis called the business and informed the employee that he was a police officer. He emailed the employee identification, including his driver’s license and ISP ID card. The employee agreed to reimburse Kocsis for his purchase ($809.95 was the exact amount).

Employee skeptical of story

Something about the situation nagged at the employee.

He kept thinking about the package, the shipping box and the paving bricks. He wondered if perhaps the customer had scammed him or even stolen Kocsis’ identity and contacted Indiana State Police on Oct. 18, 2024, more than a month after the disputed delivery.

An ISP investigator interviewed the employee, who had packed the rally bar himself and believed the photos Kocsis sent were inconsistent with how the packing materials would have responded to being bombarded by paving bricks.

The investigator himself saw “no indication” of damage to the box or “even scratches from the shifting bricks,” according to court documents.

On Oct. 22, 2024, investigators talked to Kocsis about the rally bar. He said he received the package, which had three bricks duct-taped together inside instead of the soundbar. He considered the issue resolved with the refund and said he’d thrown away the box and the bricks.

He also tried to deflect any blame, claiming a neighbor told him they’d seen a “suspicious couple” who “appeared to be potential burglars” around the time of the delivery.

Investigators consulted a UPS security supervisor, who looked at the photos Kocsis had sent. She, like the company employee, was skeptical of Kocsis’ claims. The bricks were not tightly packed inside the box, the supervisor said, and that meant they would have slipped around inside and done “extensive damage” to the box and packing materials.

The photo taken by the UPS driver who delivered the package showed no damage to the box. The supervisor believed it was “nearly impossible” for an employee to switch out the contents and then walk away with the large rally bar without being seen.

In her view, the bricks were likely swapped in after the package was delivered, the affidavit said.

Help from a friend

On Nov. 8, 2024, in the presence of his attorney, Kocsis talked to investigators again. He maintained he didn’t receive the rally bar. He told the investigators he’d purchased a new rally bar from a different company in October and had also bought one during a “private sale” in June. The one he bought in June didn’t have a serial number.

During an examination of Kocsis’ phone, investigators found a text conversation between Kocsis and a friend. In the conversation, they discussed the installation of a rally bar. The timestamp showed the conversation happened a couple of hours after Kocsis called the company about his problematic delivery.

The friend, a coworker, told police he’d helped Kocsis install a rally bar on a Kawasaki Mule on Sept. 6, 2024. The rally bar was out of its package but was in a shipping box with a shipping label. The mounting brackets and installation hardware were still sealed in bags, leading Kocsis’ friend to believe the equipment was new.

The friend said Kocsis never said a word about receiving a package filled with paving bricks. In fact, Kocsis texted him the day the package was delivered, saying he’d received the rally bar and asking for help installing it.

On Nov. 18, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant a Kocsis’ home and seized two rally bars. One of them—the rally bar Kocsis claimed he’d purchased in a private sale—had been “dismantled, cut open and made completely inoperable.” Stickers for various parts had been removed from the internal components, leaving behind nothing investigators could use to identify the rally bar’s point of origin.

Another alleged deception

Further investigation found Kocsis attempted a similar deception with a $670 order for a horn kit, front floor mat set, pro sheet cover and storage cover for a Kawasaki Mule. He claimed he never received the items, which he had ordered on Sept. 5, 2024.

UPS took a photo of the delivery on Sept. 7, 2024, confirming the package had arrived, so the company didn’t refund Kocsis.

The state trooper filed a charge dispute with Capital One. On Sept. 20, 2024, he filed a theft report in St. Joseph County claiming the items never arrived at his home.

Again, Kocsis’ messages to his friend were his undoing, according to court documents. On Sept. 8, 2024, he asked his friend to help him install a Kawasaki horn. The friend helped him with the installation on Sept. 9, 2024. 

Kocsis is due to appear in St. Joseph County Superior Court 2 for an initial court hearing on July 8 at 1 p.m. ISP confirmed Kocsis has been placed on administrative leave without pay while the investigation continues.