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On a given day, the alleged thieves would steal about $1,800 to nearly $35,000 worth of goods, according to authorities
Rachel Dobkinin New YorkFriday 12 December 2025 03:25 GMT
CloseQueens retail theft ring: 13 charged with 780 counts
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A huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials.
New York officials announced a massive 780-count indictment Thursday in which 13 people were charged with grand larceny, conspiracy and criminal possession of stolen property. One alleged thief remains at large.
“Thirteen defendants, over $2.2 million in merchandise, 319 incidents of theft, nine states and 128 separate Home Depot stores are the facts alleged, resulting in a 780-count indictment,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The most common items stolen were insulation kits, buckets of reflective roof coating, power tools, air conditioners and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
open image in galleryA huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials (Kathy Hochul via X)“They stole from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware and Maryland,” Katz said.
They stole from Home Depots from across those states. They typically parked close to the exit of the store, possibly to allow them to quickly remove their stolen merchandise into the van.”
The district attorney’s office began investigating the alleged theft ring in June 2024 and discovered an elaborate scheme where about $1,800 to nearly $35,000 worth of goods were stolen in a given day.
The crew — which had members based in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island — met almost daily where they allegedly hit Home Depot stores depending on what items they saw on the retailer’s website and app.
Three or four crew members would enter a Home Depot store separately as their accused leader, 52-year-old Armando Diaz from Flushing, provided directions to the members through their earbuds on what to steal and how to steal it, according to officials.
The alleged thieves hid the stolen goods using 96-gallon garbage bins or large pieces of sheetrock or plywood as one of them distracted store employees. The operation also included a lookout in store parking lots so as to not get spotted by police.
open image in galleryThe scheme spanned nine states and resulted in a massive 780-count indictment (Kathy Hochul via X)The stolen goods were then sold to black market retailers, known as fences. These fences would order specific items to be stolen so they could resell them.
“The stolen items were then resold to consumers, through a Brooklyn storefront or on Facebook Marketplace,” DA Katz explained.
The alleged thieves face up to 25 years and the alleged fences face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Information on Diaz’s legal representation was not immediately clear.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul lauded the bust, saying state officials were “stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks.”
open image in galleryThe stolen goods were later sold to black market retailers, known as fences (Kathy Hochul via X)“Since taking office, my highest priority has been driving down crime and keeping New Yorkers safe. Following a post-pandemic spike in retail theft, I committed new funds to establish a dedicated retail theft task force and secured stronger laws to hold people who commit these crimes accountable.
“With stronger laws and better support for District Attorneys, local police departments, and the State Police, we’re stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks and ensuring a safer retail environment for business owners, staff, and shoppers throughout New York,” Hochul said in a statement.
This isn’t the first major Home Depot theft ring bust this year. In August, Southern California police announced they had arrested 14 people who they say were involved in a scheme the saw more than $10 million worth of home improvement goods stolen.
“It was the most active I’ve ever seen — the amount of suspects, the sheer number of crimes," Detective Kevin Alldredge of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told the VC Star at the time. "From the time that we started investigating them to the time that we took them down, they never took a single day off.”