Federal prosecutors have accused Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, a 26-year-old resident of West Hartford, Connecticut, of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
A Connecticut man is facing serious charges after allegedly exploiting Home Depot stores across several states in a fraudulent scheme, resulting in almost $300,000 in store credit
This week, a judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf in federal court in Rhode Island, and he is now being held without bail, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Providence.
Court documents reveal that Connecticut man Costa-Mota adopted a clever disguise, resembling a contractor when entering the Home Depot stores. Once inside, Connecticut man Costa-Mota would allegedly load expensive doors, worth hundreds of dollars each, onto a lumber cart, and then proceed to the service department. There, Connecticut man Costa-Mota would attempt to return the items without presenting a receipt. Authorities claim that he repeated this scheme at various Home Depot locations.
If successful, Connecticut man Costa-Mota received store credits that he later redeemed at other Home Depot stores
In instances where Connecticut man Costa-Mota’s return was denied, he reportedly absconded through the doors without making payment and then tried his luck at another store.
Prosecutors allege that between June 2021 and February 2022, Costa-Mota acquired around 370 fraudulent store credits through this method.
As the case unfolds, Connecticut man Costa-Mota’s attorney has not yet provided a comment on the matter. Federal authorities are continuing their investigation into the alleged wire fraud conspiracy.
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