Crime & Safety
Cops: Suspect Forged Coupons in Home Depot Rip-Off
Melville man accused of using fakes to buy power tools, then return them for cash.
Nassau Detectives have charged a Melville man in connection with a scheme to defraud local Home Depot stores out of of $7,000 worth of power tools.
Dianfeng Jiang, 41, of 12 Reinhart Ct., Melville, was arrested early Thursday at his home without incident.
Jiang is accused of forging manufacturer coupons entitling the buyer to a "buy-one, get-one free" offer for Bosch and Milwaukee power tools, detectives said. The scheme was launched in January, 2011 and continued until this week.
Jiang repeatedly used the bogus coupons to make purchases at various Home Depot stores throughout Nassau County and elsewhere, police said. The defendant, on later dates, would then return the merchandise for a cash refund.
In the course of the scheme, Home Depots in Nassau County sustained losses of more than $7,000, according to police.
A subsequent investigation led detectives to Jiang, who was located outside of his home about 7 a.m. Thursday, where he was taken into custody.
Jiang is charged with grand larceny and possession of a forged instrument. He will be arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead Friday.
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