Man accused of renting $800,000 worth of equipment from Home Depot and failing to return it

MACON, Ga. (TMX/Gray News) – A Georgia man is charged in connection with an $800,000 scheme to fraudulently rent equipment and tools from Home Depot and then fail to return them, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia announced on Tuesday.

Yasin Saleem, 45, of Macon, was indicted by a federal grand jury in June on charges of conspiracy and fraud. He was arraigned on Friday.

“Saleem and a group of conspirators allegedly used fictitious driver’s licenses and fraudulent debit cards to exploit vulnerabilities in Home Depot’s equipment and tool rental service by stealing more than $800,000,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.

According to the indictment, Saleem and his co-conspirators allegedly used fake driver’s licenses to conceal their identities when renting equipment and tools from Home Depot.

They used debit cards with names that matched the fake licenses, even though the accounts contained the minimum balance needed to complete the rental.

Saleem and his co-conspirators then allegedly failed to return the items, causing their GPS devices to be disabled to avoid detection. The debit cards used for the rental did not have sufficient funds to pay for the stolen items.

In total, Saleem and his co-conspirators allegedly stole more than $800,000 worth of equipment.

The FBI continues to investigate the matter.