DALLAS – Henry Lamon Spruiell, 46, of Arlington, Texas, is trading his toolbox for a prison jumpsuit. U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay handed down a 24-month federal prison sentence today after Spruiell pleaded guilty in January 2017 to one count of using an unauthorized access device. The conviction stems from a brazen, multi-year scheme to bilk The Home Depot out of over a million dollars.
Spruiell’s carefully constructed fraud, spanning from June 2013 to January 2016, revolved around a fraudulently obtained Home Depot Tax Exempt ID registered in his name. He, or his associates, systematically exploited this ID at stores across the Northern District of Texas – and beyond – to claim bogus sales tax refunds. These weren’t small-time returns; Spruiell’s operation targeted significant purchases, securing refunds in the form of both store credit and cold, hard cash.
The scheme’s audacity lay in its repetition. Spruiell didn’t just make one fraudulent claim. He acquired copies of sales receipts – both from his own legitimate purchases *and* from those made by others whose information landed in his email – and repeatedly presented those exact same receipts to Home Depot stores, demanding refunds again and again. Eighteen different Home Depot locations fell victim to this relentless cycle of deceit.
Federal investigators meticulously pieced together the scope of Spruiell’s operation. As of January 2016, The Home Depot estimated total refunds fraudulently obtained through this scheme to be a staggering $1,122,357.71. Judge Lindsay didn’t just stop at the prison sentence; he ordered Spruiell to pay restitution totaling $1,139,076.00 – a substantial sum meant to begin to repay the damages caused to the retail giant.
Spruiell is slated to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 11, 2017, officially beginning his two-year sentence. The case was a joint effort, spearheaded by the United States Secret Service and Home Depot’s own investigative team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Revesz successfully prosecuted the case, securing a conviction that sends a clear message: defrauding major retailers won’t pay.
This isn’t just a story about stolen money; it’s a testament to the lengths some will go to exploit a system for personal gain, and the relentless work of law enforcement to hold them accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and others like it, shining a light on the dark underbelly of federal crime.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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