A Madison man pleaded guilty to switching the price tags on tools at Home Depot, stealing about $51,000.
Aaron Hoster, 51, pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Bangor. The charges stem from Hoster using a debit card to buy tools after switching the price tags.
Hoster would take the universal product code from a low-priced item and put it over the barcode of a higher-priced item, according to the information provided when Hoster pleaded guilty. He would then scan the lower-priced barcode to buy the more expensive item at a self-checkout.
The purchases were made in Maine with a debit or credit card where information was transferred to data servers outside the state for processing, the document said. The purchases happened between June 16, 2021, and April 24, 2023.
There were more than 160 purchases made at Lowes and Home Depot for a total of $51,269 of losses.
One purchase that led to the wire fraud charge was for a DeWalt cordless finish nailer kit. The kit, valued at $439, was purchased for $19.98, when Hoster scanned the barcode of a DeWalt weed trimmer line, according to the document. He used a debit card to pay at a self-checkout at the Home Depot in Topsham.
The purchase that led to the attempted wire fraud charge stems from a purchase at the Home Depot in Waterville on March 13. Hooters bought a Ridgid K-45 powered drain cleaner that was supposed to cost $429.
He instead scanned the barcode of a tailpiece with a sink drain stop and overflow plug that cost $11.36, the court document said. He used a debit card at a self check-out.
Store security confronted Hoster as he left the store and he abandoned his cart, the document said.
Hoster was arrested in August 2022 in Westminster, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. He pleaded guilty in October to felony theft for ticket switching at Home Depot stores in that state.
He was sentenced to three years in prison, with all but one year suspended, according to previous reporting. Hoster was released March 10 and three days later switched the barcode at the Waterville Home Depot.
Hoster is held without bail and is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.