A St. Petersburg pastor and head of a drug recovery program, along with his wife, mother and others, is awaiting trial after authorities say he ran a theft ring that stole tools from Home Depot and sold them on eBay for millions of dollars.
Robert Dell, former minister of The Rock Church and former director of a halfway house, was arrested in August. He allegedly used threats of abuse to get others to participate in the theft ring, which was uncovered by Home Depot theft investigators amid a rising wave of theft at retailers around the country.
“Home Depot suspects Dell operated this scheme for more than 10 years, resulting in the loss of more than $5 million,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a bulletin.
Moody announced the arrest in August but the alleged crime ring gained new attention this week in light of escalated reports of organized theft around the country. The Wall Street Journal, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and other news outlets reported that Home Depot worked with local and state law enforcement for several months to investigate the loss of merchandise from Tampa-area stores.
Investigators eventually focused on the fence – the person selling the stolen items – the news outlets reported. That person turned out to be Dell, authorities said. Using the eBay account “Anointed Liquidator,” Dell, 57, repeatedly sold tools, batteries and other items, according to the reports.
The trail to Dell allegedly began after Home Depot loss-prevention crews, monitoring security footage, documented two people leaving a Ruskin, Florida, store with power tools they had not paid for. An investigator gave an image of the people’s car to law officers, the Wall Street Journal and others reported. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services then surveilled the suspects and found that they visited Home Depots in multiple counties, then dropped items off at Dell’s home.
Law enforcement in June arrested the two suspects. One said she had been involved in the ring for years and was paid as much as $10,000 a day, according to the news report.
The investigation is indicative of the increased efforts big box stores and others have made in recent months as shoplifting, smash-and-grab and other organized theft has soared. Some retailers have closed stores, while others have increased security and investigations, according to news reports.
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