New Castle County, DE – A New Jersey man is facing dozens of felony charges after Delaware State Police say he carried out a multi-month identity theft and retail fraud scheme targeting Home Depot locations across the state.
According to the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Financial Crimes Unit, the investigation began in October after a corporate investigator with Home Depot reported a pattern of fraudulent purchases. Detectives determined that between August and September, the suspect allegedly visited Home Depot stores across Delaware 28 times, using stolen personal information to complete transactions.
Police said the suspect told employees he had forgotten his Home Depot credit card and instead provided a legitimate cardholder’s Social Security number. Investigators say he also presented fraudulent identification cards displaying his photograph but containing victims’ personal information. Authorities allege the suspect used the stolen identities of multiple victims to make more than $24,000 in fraudulent purchases.
Through investigative work, detectives identified the suspect as Christian Pacheco, 31, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Warrants were obtained for his arrest, and on January 5, 2026, Pacheco was taken into custody at an airport in New Jersey.
On Wednesday, January 29, Pacheco was extradited to Delaware and transported to Troop 2, where he was formally charged and arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11. He was later released after posting a $63,750 cash bond.
Pacheco is facing a wide range of charges, including 28 felony counts of identity theft, 28 counts of second-degree forgery, 19 felony counts of unlawful use of a payment card involving victims age 62 or older, and multiple additional charges related to conspiracy, theft, and shoplifting.
The case remains under review, and police stress that all charges are allegations pending court proceedings.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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