BSO says man rented heavy equipment from Home Depot, then sold it online
A Fort Lauderdale man is accused of selling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of heavy machinery that he fraudulently rented from several Home Depot stores, according to Broward sheriff’s detectives.
Jereome Downing, 27, of Fort Lauderdale, likely had help in the scheme, which targeted Home Depot stores in Oakland Park, West Park and other locations in Broward County, the sheriff’s office said.
“Detectives continue to investigate this case and additional arrests are expected,” Carey Codd, a BSO spokesman, said in a statement.
Broward detectives and members of Miami-Dade County Police’s Organized Retail Crime division arrested Downing on Tuesday. As of Friday, he was being held without bond in county jail on multiple charges, including organized scheme to defraud, conspiracy to defraud and unlawful sublease of motor vehicles.
Information about his legal representation was not immediately available.
Detectives documented 21 pieces of heavy machinery, including excavators and heavy loader vehicles, that Downing “and others” rented under false names and then sold online, Codd said.
The scheme cost the stores more than $460,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
This story was originally published March 22, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
