A 31-year-old Florence man received a four-year sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud for his role in a scheme to defraud a chain of home improvement stores.
Evidence presented in federal court in Charleston showed Caleb Hood used fake identities to steal merchandise from the stores throughout South Carolina. Hood would steal the merchandise at one store and take it to another store to return it.
Hood would claim he didn’t have a receipt and the store would issue credit in the form of a merchandise card. The funds on those cards were not legitimate because Hood had never purchased the products.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel sentenced Hood to 48 months in federal prison. A three-year term of court-ordered supervision will follow his release.
There is no parole in the federal system. Hood also was ordered to pay $202,659 in restitution to the home improvement chain.
Hood used this scheme from April 2019 to March 2, 2022, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Caleb Hood used fake identities to steal over $200,000 from a chain of home improvement stores over a period of several years,” U.S. Attorney Adair Borough said. “We appreciate the work of the Secret Service and Charleston Police Department in uncovering this scheme and helping to protect our local businesses from financial crimes.”
The Secret Service and Charleston Police Department are committed to investigating fraudulent activity that hurts local businesses and the nation’s economy, said Ben Stafford, Charleston’s Secret Service resident agent.
“We are thankful for the tireless efforts of our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office as they worked to see that justice was served in this case,” he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower prosecuted the case.
