Federal prosecutors say a water-heater return scam stretched across the St. Louis area and beyond, turning bulky used appliances into more than $1.7 million in Home Depot gift cards.
What happened?
According to The Leader, a federal case filed May 27 accuses Jose Antonio Alvarez-Raya, Aron Suarez-Ruiz, Daniel Barreras-Magallanes and Francisco Aguilar-Ortiz of conspiracy to commit wire fraud tied to an alleged Home Depot return operation.
Court records say the gift cards obtained in the alleged scheme were later used to buy power tools. According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors say the cards — worth more than $1.7 million — came from returning used water heaters at St. Louis-area Home Depot stores after their serial numbers and manufacture dates had allegedly been altered.
Investigators say the alleged operation began with water heaters obtained in California and moved by rental truck to home improvement stores in different states. The indictment says the activity ran from March through May 18…