News Releases
FORMER HOME DEPOT EMPLOYEE SENTENCED IN $270,000 SCHEME TO STEAL HOME DEPOT GIFT CARDS AND TO SELL THE CARDS OVER eBAY
May 04, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and Gregory Jones, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce that ROBERT S. ROSOLANKO, 35, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. on a charge of wire fraud. According to Nahmias and evidence in today’s sentencing hearing:
ROSOLANKO was sentenced to 2 years, 3 months in federal prison, and ordered to serve 3 years supervised release. ROSOLANKO, who had already paid over $70,000, was also ordered to pay all additional monies in restitution owed to Home Depot.
ROSOLANKO pleaded guilty on December 17, 2004, to a one count criminal Information charging him with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Home Depot through the theft of Home Depot gift cards and their subsequent sale over eBay, Inc.'s on-line auction system.
While employed as a marketing manager in Home Depot's regional office in Dallas, Texas, ROSOLANKO ordered Home Depot gift cards, which are stored value cards redeemable for Home Depot merchandise, from the company's headquarters, representing that they would be distributed and used for legitimate Home Depot business and marketing-related purposes. Between May 2002 and March 2004, however, ROSOLANKO abused his authority to order Home Depot gift cards by converting the cards to his personal use. Specifically, ROSOLANKO misappropriated the Home Depot gift cards he had ordered by taking custody of them and selling them over eBay, typically realizing 85% or more of the card's stored value. Between May 2002, when ROSOLANKO initiated his fraud scheme, and March 2004, when he was confronted by Home Depot corporate security personnel and his employment was terminated, he sold or intended to sell 2,375 Home Depot gift cards over eBay that carried an aggregate stored value of $269,350.
United States Attorney Nahmias said, "This office, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will actively investigate and prosecute an employee's theft of his employer's assets, as here, the employee abused his employer's trust in stealing valuable property to which he had access in connection with his employment. In addition, this office will investigate and, where warranted, prosecute cases involving the sale of stolen property over eBay or any other on-line auction system."
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Home Depot Corporate Security Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul N. Monnin prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney or F. Gentry Shelnutt, Criminal Division Chief, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.