A Colorado couple was indicted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars-worth of merchandise from The Home Depot stores across the state and pawning or selling the items, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Thursday.
Mario Timothy Hehr and Alexandra Gaiswinkler are accused of stealing more than $39,000 from The Home Depot locations in Adams, Jefferson, Boulder, Broomfield and Weld Counties between December 2021 and September 2022.
According to the attorney general, Hehr would enter the locations and use cutters to cut security cables from high-end tools. He would then allegedly hide the tools in a tote or garbage bin and walk out of the store without paying for the items. He always left in a "distinctive blue and white van," the AG said. Gaiswinkler was the getaway driver in at least one instance, according to Weiser.
The couple would then go directly to pawnshops to sell or pawn items that matched the descriptions of the stolen tools, according to the AG.
“Colorado businesses have lost millions in inventory to sophisticated crime rings, threatening greater safety risks to retail store employees and higher prices for consumers. Working with our law enforcement partners, my office is committed to combating organized retail theft and holding criminals accountable for the harm they cause businesses, employees, and consumers throughout the state,” Weiser said in a statement.
Hehr was charged with two counts of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act: racketeering and conspiracy, theft, conspiracy to commit theft and attempt to commit theft. Gaiswinkler faces charges of conspiracy, theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
Both are being held by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on $50,000 cash or surety bonds.
An attorney from the Department of Law's Criminal Justice Section will assist the First Judicial District Attorney's Office in the prosecution of this case, according to Weiser. .
