A Eureka couple has been accused of operating an organized retail theft ring that targeted home improvement box stores for at least 11 years. The couple allegedly stole at least $600,000 from Home Depot and Lowe’s home improvement stores, according to court documents.
Farhan Rasoul Zadeh Seisan and his wife, Sona Sharifina, allegedly would place will call orders and use the receipts to steal thousands of dollars’ worth of items from area stores. The two also are accused of selling the stolen items on Amazon and eBay, according to a probable-cause statement filed by the Brentwood Police.
The two had run the alleged scheme at Home Depot stores since 2018, stealing about $500,000 worth of items. The two appeared to do the same thing at Lowe’s stores as early as 2015, stealing at least $100,000 worth of items, the report said.
Brentwood Police reported finding approximately $84,000 worth of items stolen from Home Depot and $13,000 worth of items stolen from Lowe’s on June 15 when a search warrant was executed at the couple’s Eureka home.
Investigators allegedly found 182 faucets worth $31,373.97; 135 lighting fixtures worth $15,760.92; 122 Square D breakers worth $7,891.24; 321 Leutron dimmers worth $16,224.05, spools of electrical wiring worth $415.37; 69 other items such as electronic door locks and garage door openers worth a total of $9,220 that were stolen from Home Depot at the home, according to the report.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a Home Depot employee alerted the company’s organized retail crime department of Seisan’s unusual activity at the store earlier this year.
Seisan would place will call orders, typically for $2,500 worth of items at time, pay for the order and leave with the receipt before the order is filled. Sharifina would return later that same day with the receipt, collect the ordered items from the store’s shelves and leave without paying, the report said.
Seisan would return to the store the next day, and he also would collect items from the will call receipt and leave without paying. Three days after placing the will call order, Seisan would either return to the store to pick up the items or call to cancel the order and have Home Depot refund him the money, according to the report.
Seisan did pick up some of the purchased will call orders, but he would return items to various Home Depot stores throughout the area for refunds, the report said.
Seisan and Sharifina have each been charged with four felony counts of organized retail theft, court records show.
Seisan is listed as an Iranian national, and Sharifina has permanent U.S. residency. Homeland Security has launched an investigation against the couple for wire fraud and interstate transfer of stolen property, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.