Two men suspected of being in the country illegally have been charged for allegedly running a scam to return water heaters at Home Depot stores. Arnold Police arrested the two men after being alerted by Homeland Security Investigations about the two men and their alleged scheme, police reported.
Jose Antonia Alvarez Raya, 38, who has a listed address in Everson, Wash., and Aron Suarez Ruiz, 22, who has a listed address in Louisville, Ky., have both been charged with felony forgery and stealing, according to court documents.
As of May 22, they were both being held on $25,000 bonds at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court and jail records show.
According to the Arnold Police, Homeland Security contacted the department on May 14 about suspicious activity involving a Penske box truck that was believed to be used to fraudulently return water heaters at Home Depot stores throughout St. Louis County.
Officers saw the 2021 GMC box truck just before noon on May 14 at the Home Depot store, 3865 Vogel Road, in Arnold. The truck, which had an Indiana license plate, was stopped shortly after leaving the store, according to the case’s probable-cause statements filed by the Arnold Police.
Raya was driving the truck, and he opened the back door to reveal 23 water heaters. Officers also allegedly found that Raya had eight fake California identification cards, and Ruiz had nine fake California identification cards, the report said.
Investigators learned the two men had returned two water heaters to the Arnold Home Depot. The received gift cards for a total of $1,521.24 for the returned items, according to the report.
Investigators also learned the men would place forged serial numbers and manufacturer dates on the water heaters before returning them to Home Depot stores, the report said.
The two men allegedly admitted to Homeland Security agents that they knew the scheme was illegal, and they had fraudulently returned water heaters at stores in different states. The two men also allegedly told the agents they were paid by their “boss” after completing the returns, according to the probable-cause statements.
The reports filed by an Arnold Police detective said Raya is in the U.S. illegally, and Ruiz arrived in the U.S. about two weeks before being arrested in Arnold.