A Maine man who ripped off Home Depot and Lowe’s by swapping UPC labels on products will spend more than two years in prison.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Aaron David Hoster, 51, of Madison, on Wednesday to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $57,593.19 in restitution.
Hoster pleaded guilty to wire fraud and attempted wire fraud in September.
According to court records, from June 2021 to April 2023, Hoster took off UPC labels from low-cost items at Home Depot and put them on higher priced items before going through a self-checkout.
He defrauded multiple Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement stores in Maine, costing the stores more than $51,000.
In one instance, officials say Hoster bought a $439 cordless finish nailer kit but paid just $19.98 by scanning a price code for trimmer line.
In another example, he scanned a code for an $11.36 chrome-plated plastic tailpiece but walked out of the store with a powered drain cleaner valued at $429.
In all, Hoster, who has 29 prior criminal convictions, committed 160 thefts using his “ticket switching” scam.
Most of the thefts occurred in Maine. Some took place in Maryland and Pennsylvania.