Salem man pleads guilty in Home Depot fraud scheme
A Salem man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court after allegedly scheming to defraud Home Depot of over $45,000, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a statement. Robert Dooley, 56, was charged with 10 counts of wire fraud. According to the statement, Dooley defrauded Home Depot by getting store credit for returned items he never purchased between January and February 2016.He carried out the scheme more than 40 times at stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.Dooley allegedly walked into Home Depot stores without merchandise and collected goods totaling between $500 and $900. He would then falsely claim at the returns desk he had bought the items but didn’t have a receipt for them, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.Dooley was previously convicted of federal wire fraud charges in 2007 and sentenced to five years in federal prison in a nearly identical scam, according to court documents. From July 2004 to October 2005, he defrauded Home Depot of more than $330,000, authorities said.The U.S. Attorney’s office said his sentencing is scheduled for November 15.
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