Home Depot manager accused of giving millions in fraudulent discounts

Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAYFri, April 24, 2026 at 1:57 AM UTC

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Home Depot manager accused of giving millions in fraudulent discounts

A Home Depot manager in Florida is accused of running a "deliberate" and "systematic" fraud scheme at stores where he worked, leading the company to lose more than $4 million through unauthorized discounts, arrest documents show.

Mauricio Jimenez, 48, faces organized fraud and first-degree grand theft felony charges for allegedly running the scheme from December 2023 to April 2026 at different store locations in Florida, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. He was arrested on April 21 by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.

According to the arrest affidavit, the investigation began after the Home Depot Assurance & Advisory Management Program discovered a "high quality, high value, high markdown order" during a visit to Jimenez's previous store in Hialeah Gardens, Florida. The order was eventually flagged by store leadership, who later "observed multiple transactions" with Jimenez.

Investigators said Jimenez was authorized as store manager to approve pricing adjustments, including markdowns, and had access to "internal sales and inventory systems" through login credentials and password-protected authorization.

"It was initially observed that he had several highly excessive markdowns conducted to repeated customers," the arrest affidavit noted, adding that store leaders flagged "irregularities in high‑volume bulk transactions" originating from his store.

Jimenez was "engaged in a deliberate, systematic, and ongoing scheme to defraud Home Depot," the arrest report said. The markdowns, according to investigators, created "a negative sales margin of around $4.3 million to these accounts."

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Attorney: 'There's nothing that says that he is receiving any kickbacks'

Jimenez appeared in bond court on April 22, CBS News Miami reported. Prosecutors argued that the discounts Ramos provided resulted in larger bonuses.

During the appearance, Jimenez's attorney, Melissa Ramos, said her client's actions did not constitute stealing.

"There's nothing that says that he is receiving any kickbacks, like he was getting any benefit from this," Ramos told the judge, CBS News Miami reported.

Judge Mindy Glazer later found probable cause and set Jimenez's bond at $15,000, ordering him to stay away from Home Depot. The local outlet also reported that Jimenez has since bonded out of jail and was released from custody.

USA TODAY reached out to Home Depot for comment on Jimenez's employment status.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Home Depot manager arrested in $4M fraudulent discount scheme

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