Maine man accused of bilking Home Depot in ‘ticket-switching’ scheme

An alleged “ticket-switching” fraudster — who has already been convicted of the same scheme in one state — bilked Home Depot stores out of thousands of dollars when he swapped prices on dozens of items, according to federal authorities.

Over an 18-month span starting in December 2020, Aaron Hoster, 51, targeted various Home Depots in Maine where he scrapped the price code off items under $30 and then slapped them on more expensive power tools of up to $1,200, the feds alleged.

He then made a beeline to the self-checkout line with the higher-valued tool and paid using the lower price, a criminal complaint said.

Hoster is facing wire fraud and attempted wire fraud charges.

He’s accused of making off with thousands of dollars he should’ve forked over to the mega-chain, according to the complaint that was unsealed on May 3.

In one case, the feds said he put a $37.50 price tag from a generator adopter on a Honda generator that cost $1,299.

Store footage shows “Hoster exiting the store with items much larger than the item recorded on the receipt as bring purchased,” the agent on the case wrote in the complaint.

Hoster also allegedly carried out the same scheme in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

He was arrested in Westminster, Maryland on state charges and later pleaded in November 2022, the complaint states and was hit with jail time.

He was released from jail in Maryland on March 10.

Three days later, he allegedly tried to his ticket-switching scheme at a Home Depot in Waterville, Maine, but fled the store without making off with the goods when confronted by store personnel.

He was held without bail Friday by a federal judge, according to Bangor Daily News.

He’s facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted of wire fraud and could be slapped with a fine of $250,000.