Medina Township police say an investigation uncovered more than 1,700 fraudulent returns made by Tracy James at Home Depot stores dating back to 2018.
MEDINA, Ohio — A southern Ohio woman has been sentenced after authorities said she carried out a yearslong organized retail fraud scheme targeting multiple Home Depot stores across several states.
According to a Facebook post from the Medina Township Police Department, Tracy A. James of Peebles pleaded guilty in Medina County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 27 to one count of telecommunications fraud, a second-degree felony.
Investigators said the scheme began in 2018 and involved more than 1,700 fraudulent transactions at several Home Depot locations in Ohio and Kentucky.
Police said James used counterfeit driver’s licenses and different aliases to return merchandise she had not purchased, receiving store credit through fraudulent return transactions. Authorities said the activity took place at stores in Medina, Wadsworth, Brunswick, Miamisburg and Milford, Ohio, as well as locations in Kentucky.
Investigators determined the scheme produced about $266,699 in fraudulent store credit. Police said James then used the credit to buy merchandise that she later resold online.
After the investigation, the case was presented to the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office, which secured an indictment on the telecommunications fraud charge.
According to police, James was sentenced to five years of community control supervision, 180 days in the Medina County Jail, and 100 hours of community service. The court also ordered her to pay $266,699 in restitution to Home Depot.
The investigation was carried out by Medina Township police with assistance from Home Depot’s organized retail crime investigators and the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office.
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