Kelvin Deonta Thomas, 40, of La Plata
Kelvin Deonta Thomas, 40, of La Plata, has been charged with multiple counts of theft following his arrest on August 22, 2024. Thomas, who was working at the Home Depot store in Charles County, conducted fraudulent transactions that resulted in thefts totaling over $2,600.
According to court documents, Officer W. Saunders of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at Home Depot regarding an employee theft incident. An Asset Protection Manager informed Officer Saunders that Thomas, an employee at the store, had been conducting a series of fraudulent refund transactions.
Thomas was reportedly working at the return desk and took advantage of his position to commit the thefts. On 14 different occasions, between August 1, 2024, and August 22, 2024, Thomas allegedly processed refunds for items that were not actually returned. The scheme involved Thomas using legitimate customer returns as a cover to process additional, fraudulent refunds. After completing the genuine return for the customer, Thomas would process a second refund for items that were never returned, pocketing the cash from the second transaction.
The fraudulent refunds ranged in value, with amounts recorded on several dates, including:
- August 1, 2024: $204.97
- August 2, 2024: $316.94 and $179.14
- August 9, 2024: $185.20, $129.22, and $117.45
- August 10, 2024: $135.99 and $316.94
- August 14, 2024: $207.00, $176.07, and $100.35
- August 15, 2024: $201.16
- August 17, 2024: $102.41
- August 18, 2024: $242.05
The total value of the fraudulent transactions documented by Home Depot was $2,615.61. However, during his written confession to the Asset Protection Manager, Thomas admitted that the actual amount stolen exceeded $4,000, indicating that there may have been additional, unrecorded thefts prior to August 1, 2024.
Thomas was arrested and transported to the Charles County Detention Center, where he was processed. He has been charged with the following:
- Two counts of theft less than $100 (misdemeanor)
- Twelve counts of theft of $100 to under $1,500 (misdemeanor)
- One count of theft scheme between $1,500 and less than $25,000 (felony)
On August 23, 2024, Thomas was released on an unsecured personal bond of $1,500.
Kelvin Deonta Thomas, 40, of La Plata
