Men Stole $14K in Items From Home Depot Stores in Long Island, Queens: DA

Two men have been charged with stealing more than $14,000 worth of merchandise from four Home Depot stores in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens over the course of five months, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced Thursday.

According to the DA, Armando Diaz, 43, of College Point, and Kevin Marmolejo, 21, of Maspeth, would fill their orange carts up with thousands of dollars worth of building materials such as plexiglass, paint, light fixtures and vinyl flooring.

“The men are accused of going on shopping sprees and then exiting the stores without stopping at the cashier to pay,” Brown said in a press release. "This kind of thievery will not be tolerated."

Marmolejo told police he would stop near the register with a cart filled with merchandise while Diaz spoke to a distracted employee at the self-checkout registers, the DA said. Diaz allegedly used the Spanish word “salga,” which means to go or leave, to let Marmolejo know it was time to exit the store.

On August 17, Diaz, who works in the construction industry, and an unidentified man entered Home Depot in Flushing around 7 a.m. and left the store 40 minutes later without paying for 5-gallon drums of paint, sheets of plexiglass, bifold doors and other items worth just under $4,000.

On October 26, Diaz and another unidentified person entered the East Elmhurst Home Depot at 7:15 p.m. and left the store about 40 minutes later without paying for $4,500 worth of items, including light fixtures, more paint, plexiglass and doors, the DA said.

On January 10, Diaz and Marmolejo went to Home Depot on Jericho Turnpike in Nassau County at 6 a.m. and left the store 20 minutes later without paying for more than $3,500 worth of items such as RockSolid clear epoxy, a Tyvek house wrap, primer sealer, vinyl flooring, garbage bags and other items, the DA said. The DA did not specify if the thefts occurred at the Jericho or the Syosset Home Depot location as both stores are located on Jericho Turnpike.

Diaz and Marmolejo proceeded to Home Depot in Deer Park where they left the store without paying for approximately $2,500 worth of items, including recessed lighting, a Moen faucet fixture, ceiling medallion, a colored bulb and more, the DA said.

The men were then stopped by police in Queens, where investigators recovered more than $6,000 worth of stolen Home Depot merchandise, the DA said.

Marmolejo was also found to be in possession of fake twenty dollar bills in his pocket, the DA said.

The men were arraigned Wednesday and charged with third-degree burglary, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fifth-degree conspiracy. Marmolejo was additionally charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Diaz is being held on $100,000 bail and faces up to seven years in prison. Marmolejo had bail set at $50,000 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Both men are due back in court on Friday, Jan. 27.

Image of Home Depot in Deer Park via Google Maps