SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – A Syracuse man is facing several felony counts for stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from Home Depot stores in Central New York, according to the New York State Police.
State police say 37-year-old Jeffrey Gordon scammed Home Depot out of roughly $10,000 by scanning false barcodes at self-checkout lines. Gordon used this strategy to steal merchandise, primarily high-end tools, from the Home Depot stores in Auburn, DeWitt, Cicero, Clay, Camillus, and Watertown, according to authorities.
New York State Police Public Information Officer Jack Keller calls the nature and extent of the alleged scheme “unusual,” crediting asset protection agents at the Camillus Home Depot for discovering Gordon’s underpayments via auditing.
“We get a lot of calls in regards to people [stealing from self-checkouts], whether they purposefully or say they forgot to scan the item before they go into the bag. But to this extent, we’ve never seen before,” Keller says.
Gordon is charged with four counts of felony larceny in addition to one count of misdemeanor larceny. If convicted, Gordon could spend up to four years in prison. State police say Gordon was arrested on April 3 and released on appearance tickets.
In total, Gordon stole from Home Depot stores on 28 different occasions, according to police. A Home Depot spokeswoman tells NCC News the company “appreciates the partnership” of the New York State Police in this case.
“Organized retail crime is a growing problem for all retailers. The Home Depot works frequently with law enforcement at all levels to combat retail theft because safety is our top priority and these are our communities too,” the Home Depot spokeswoman says.
