Man defrauded Home Depot, US says

When Robert P. Dooley went shopping at Home Depot, he would allegedly fill his cart with floor tiles, casement windows, sliding doors, or other items, and, instead of stopping to pay, he would go straight to the customer service counter to return the goods for a refund.

Since the former Internal Revenue Service clerk had no receipt, he was required to show identification and would flash his IRS badge, "at times making claims that he was trustworthy because he worked for the IRS," according to a court document.

After getting store credits for the stolen merchandise, he later converted them to cash by selling them for less than face value, according to federal prosecutors.

For three years, the scam worked so well that Dooley, 47, formerly of Salem, allegedly made trips to Home Depot stores in all six New England states, plus New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, ultimately defrauding the company out of more than $330,000, authorities said.

Prosecutors filed 12 counts of wire fraud against Dooley yesterday in federal court in Boston for the thefts, which allegedly occurred between May 2002 and October 2005, when prosecutors said he was caught allegedly trying to steal at a Home Depot in Reading. He's been jailed since then on state charges.

Dooley worked at the IRS Service Center in Andover from February 2001 to September 2002, but continued to use his IRS identification while allegedly defrauding the stores, according to federal prosecutors.

Jerry Shields, a spokesman for Atlanta-based Home Depot, issued a statement saying that the company works closely with law enforcement to protect the assets of its shareholders and appreciated the effort put into prosecuting Dooley.

As for how Dooley was allegedly able to slip past the checkout counter and immediately get refunds at so many stores, Shields said, "The system is designed for honest customers, and an occasional customer returns merchandise without a receipt."

A lawyer from the Federal Defender's office who has been appointed to represent Dooley in the wire fraud case couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.