State authorities have charged three Reading men with stealing customer account information, then making purchases to the tune of $50,000 at five Lowe’s stores across Pennsylvania.
Joel Cabrera-Gutierrez, 48, and Francisco Dejesus-Valerio, 35, are each charged with nine counts related to organized retail theft and corrupt organizations. Leury Antonio Cepeda-Brioso, 28, is charged with eight counts related to the organized retail theft scheme.
The trio are charged with thefts in Columbia, Franklin, Monroe, Warren and York counties between Aug. 4 and Sept. 30, Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a release Wednesday.
The charges were filed Wednesday in Monroe County. The defendants had not yet been arraigned.
“These defendants harmed unsuspecting customers and businesses with this widespread scheme,” Sunday said. “I am grateful that our Organized Retail Crime Section works with law enforcement across the commonwealth to hold criminals accountable for conduct that harms all consumers by forcing businesses to raise prices of goods.”
The investigation revealed the trio used Lowe’s account numbers for five customers to place orders online, authorities said. The purchases included items typically used in the construction trade, like doors, flooring and kitchen cabinets.
Lowe’s security cameras recorded the items being picked up.