Dominick Reuter/Business Insider
- Federal prosecutors in Oregon have brought charges against seven defendants conspiracy to defraud Home Depot.
- The complaint says the group rented equipment from the retailer using stolen credit card numbers.
- Instead of returning the items, prosecutors say the crew sold it on Facebook and other marketplaces.
Home Depot's rental department continues to battle the theft of its heavy equipment in schemes where suspects sell the machinery on sites like Facebook Marketplace, prosecutors allege.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors in Oregon brought charges against a group of seven defendants, accusing them of conspiring in a scheme in which they stole heavy machinery from Home Depot by renting it and not returning it.
According to the indictment, first reported by Court Watch, members of the group would go to the retailer's rental desk at locations in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado to borrow the equipment using stolen credit and debit card information.
Prosecutors also said the defendants would "often use their real driver's license" for the required identification.
But rather than return the equipment, the defendants instead sold it on Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms, according to the court documents.
In each instance, the equipment was borrowed under a one-day rental, GPS tracking devices were disabled, and items were listed for sale on Facebook and elsewhere, the prosecutors said.
The thefts bear a striking resemblance to several cases in the past year, one in Washington, and two in Florida.
In one, Florida prosecutors sentenced a man to eight years in prison for leading a crime ring that rented more than 60 pieces of heavy equipment, such as trenchers, stump grinders, and excavators, which were never returned, costing Home Depot more than $1 million.
Officials said he too used his actual ID when borrowing equipment, the local Fox affiliate reported.
And just last month, Florida's Attorney General brought charges against another man in a strikingly similar scheme that involved 21 pieces of equipment and cost Home Depot more than $460,000.
Beyond the rental desk, Home Depot and other retailers have been raising the alarm in recent years over theft, which cost the industry an estimated $41 billion in 2022.
In response to shoplifters, the home improvement retailer, in particular, has turned to measures including locked-up displays and power tools that won't work unless they've been activated at purchase.