FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A theft ring targeting Home Depot stores across the state raked in a tidy sum, but the man deputies say operated it has since made the Broward County jail his home.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that deputies took Jereome Downing, 26, of Fort Lauderdale, into custody on Tuesday.
Recommended Videos
According to BSO and state prosecutors, Downing and others in a theft ring went to Home Depot stores in West Park, Oakland Park and other localities across the county and state, rented heavy machinery under false names, then turned around and sold the equipment online.
According to authorities, the scam led to a loss of $460,000 due to the theft of 21 pieces of machinery.
Additional arrests are expected, deputies said.
Downing was being held in the BSO Main Jail on a St. Lucie County hold for a charge of organized scheme to defraud, according to online jail records.