CHP busts nearly $1 million California retail fraud involving Home Depot stores
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- Investigators recovered over $300,000 in stolen items in retail store fraud scheme.
- The California Highway Patrol said the scheme led to nearly $1 million in store losses.
- Sacramento police and the Placer County DA’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Investigators recovered more than $300,000 in stolen merchandise and made arrests stemming from a nearly $1 million retail fraud scheme at stores throughout California, including Sacramento and Placer counties.
The investigation, which spanned multiple jurisdictions from Baldwin Park in Los Angeles County to Hayward in Alameda County, began in September when the California Highway Patrol Valley Division’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force received an investigation referral from Home Depot stores.
Home Depot officials reported “a sophisticated fraud and theft scheme” in which the suspect allegedly damaged merchandise, removed internal components and returned the altered merchandise in exchange for new items from the store, the CHP said Thursday in a news release.
The CHP said investigators linked the suspect to hundreds of similar incidents at stores across California, resulting in more than $900,000 in losses.
CHP investigators, along with investigators from the Sacramento Police Department and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, conducted an extensive investigation that identified several people participating in this organized fraud scheme, according to the CHP.
Investigators served search warrants at homes, which led to the recovery of about $307,000 in stolen retail merchandise that has been returned to the stores. The CHP said the investigators also confiscated $59,000 in cash and 12 guns.
Investigators made multiple arrests in connection with this ongoing investigation.
“Organized retail crime impacts not only businesses, but the communities they serve,” Chief Tyler Eccles, commander of CHP Valley Division, said in the news release. “The success of this investigation highlights the power of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and our retail partners. Together, we’re committed to holding those who engage in organized theft accountable.”
