Brazilian National Sentenced, Faces Deportation in Scheme That Defrauded a National Retailer of Nearly $300,000

PROVIDENCE, RI – A former West Hartford, CT, resident who, for more than eight months prior to his arrest and detention nearly two years ago, operated a scheme in several states, from Maine to Rhode Island to Maryland, to steal and return merchandise to Home Depot, amassing and spending nearly $300,000 in store credit, has been sentenced to time served, ordered to pay full restitution, and faces deportation proceedings, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

 Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, 27, a Brazilian national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on November 9, 2023, to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to time served, three years of federal supervised release, and to pay restitution to Home Depot in the amount of $297,332.

Mr. Costa-Mota will be turned over to Immigration and Custom Enforcement to face deportation proceedings.

According to court documents and information presented to the court, on at least 60 occasions spread over approximately eight months from mid-2021 to early 2022, Costa-Mota stole merchandise from the retailer then returned the merchandise for store credit. He amassed – and spent - $297,332 in store credit. He executed the scheme at no less than 40 different store locations. To evade detection, he used fake driver licenses for identification purposes.

The case was prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dulce Donovan and Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service.

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