Home Depot thefts: Alleged crew stole merchandise from 14 stores on Long Island, plus others, prosecutors say

An alleged theft crew has been accused of stealing $2.2 million worth of merchandise from 128 Home Depot stores, including 14 on Long Island, working as a team to hit the stores daily for several months, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.

As part of a 780-count indictment, 11 of the 13 defendants were arraigned on Wednesday and charged with fourth-degree conspiracy and variously charged with first-degree grand larceny, first-degree criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes, a statement said.

One defendant remained at large, and another will be arraigned at a later date.

"Working with our partners at the New York State Police, we brought this brazen operation to a halt," Katz said in a statement.

Katz said the crew conducted 319 thefts at 128 separate Home Depot stores in New York and eight other states and even "took breaks for lunch and dinner" from their operation and "sometimes hit the same Home Depot up to four times in one day."

Between Aug. 14, 2024, and Sept. 11, 2025, the theft crew, led by Armando Diaz, 52, of Flushing, met almost daily at 5:30 a.m. in a parking lot at 57th Avenue and Hoffman Drive in East Elmhurst to prepare for the day's "hits," according to the investigation.

The locations of Home Depots to be targeted were determined by a review of merchandise in each store as shown on the retailer’s website and app. The crew then drove to those stores in Diaz’s van and a lookout vehicle, the indictment said.

Three Long Island locations targeted were among the top eight stores in terms of the worth of goods stolen, prosecutors said, including Westbury, $60,704.87; Farmingdale, $69,353.56; and Bay Shore, $81,635.49.

Once the crew arrived at a store, three or four theft crew members entered the Home Depot separately while wearing earbuds linked to each other and Diaz on a conference call, authorities said. They did not physically engage with each other while in the store.

Diaz would then provide directions on what to steal and how and whether anyone was watching, authorities said.

While this was happening, Joana Carolina "La Mona" Fermin, 38, of Hicksville, allegedly parked in the lot and surveilled the property for police officers.

She also notified crew members inside the store to go outside and move Diaz’s van closer to an exit if a spot became available, the indictment said.

Items such as insulation kits, buckets of reflective roof coating, power tools, air conditioners and smoke- and carbon-monoxide detectors were routinely placed in 96-gallon garbage bins on a cart and wheeled out of the store.

Once the theft crew had the day’s haul, items were sold to five fences, or black market retailers, and exchanged in a Bronx parking lot, authorities said.  

The stolen items were then resold to consumers through a Brooklyn storefront or on Facebook Marketplace, Katz said.

After conducting a court-authorized search on Wednesday of three homes, 14 storage units and eight vehicles, law enforcement seized an estimated $1.5 million worth of stolen products, including but not limited to smoke- and carbon-monoxide detectors, air conditioners, electrical outlets, power tools, batteries and copper wire.

The total amount of stolen merchandise and the list of targeted stores is still being accounted, Queens District Attorney's Office spokesperson Brendan Brosh said.

Queens Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner remanded Diaz, who pleaded not guilty, and ordered the others arrested to return to court on various dates in January. An attorney for Diaz did not return a call Thursday afternoon seeking comment.

Fermin pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond. Her Queens-based attorney, Scott Bookstein, said he was still reviewing the case and declined to comment. He said Fermin had no prior criminal history.

Newsday's John Asbury contributed to this story.