Man faces potential deportation after sentencing in $300,000 Home Depot theft scheme, DOJ says

A former Connecticut resident could face deportation after being sentenced on allegations of stealing nearly $300,000 worth of Home Depot merchandise.

The Justice Department's District of Rhode Island office announced that Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, a 27-year-old Brazilian national, was sentenced to time served, three years of federal supervised release, and to pay $297,332 in restitution to Home Depot, on Tuesday.

Costa-Mota pleaded guilty in November 2023 to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy.

Costa-Mota will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to face possible deportation, the Department of Justice said.

Man stole items, returned returned them for store credit: DOJ

Prosecutors said that on at least 60 occasions from at least June 2021 to February 2022, Costa-Mota stole merchandise from Home Depot and then returned them for store credit.

According to the Department of Justice, Costa-Mota went to at least 40 different store locations across multiple states including stores in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

He's accused of using fake driver's licenses and IDs to avoid being caught. In total, he collected and spent $297,332 in store credit.

"It is alleged that Costa-Mota entered stores empty handed, dressed to appear like a contractor. He then collected Anderson doors, which he brought to each store’s Service Department where he made non-receipted returns of the doors," the Justice Department said.

Costa-Mota received store credit for the returns, which he would then redeem at other locations, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors said if one store refused to accept his returns, he would leave and take the merchandise to another store for store credit.