Feds accuse Macon man of stealing more than $800k in equipment from a Home Depot
A Macon man was accused of stealing more than $800,000 worth of equipment from a Home Depot in Atlanta, according to federal prosecutors in Georgia.
Yasin Saleem, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 25 on conspiracy and wire fraud charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia. The indictment was unsealed Friday when Saleem was arraigned in front of Judge J. Christopher C. Bly in Atlanta.
Saleem and other unnamed conspirators allegedly presented fake licenses and debit cards to Home Depot to rent equipment and tools and then never returned them, prosecutors said.
The debit cards were used before the alleged fraud scheme and did not carry enough money to replace the stolen items. The stolen items included excavators, trailers, a power head attachment, pruners, excavators, a skid loader, a drain cleaner, a jumping jack, a breaker and a mower, according to the indictment. Everything together was worth more than $800,000.
Saleem and the others allegedly disabled the tracking devices in the rented equipment and used stolen license plates, according to court records.
The indictment alleges that the scheme began as early as May 2017, and the rented equipment from Home Depot was stolen from 2019 until 2021.
Prosecutors said the indictment contains only charges and that Saleem is presumed innocent until the government proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
“Saleem’s retail theft scheme not only resulted in substantial financial loss for Home Depot but highlights the complex and widespread nature of organized retail crime,” said Sean Burke, acting special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “This indictment demonstrates the need for strong and collaborative efforts between the FBI and private-sector partners, to combat such threats effectively.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 12:23 PM.
