Four Guatemalan men charged in retail theft, reselling scheme

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Four Guatemalan men have been charged in a scheme to steal and sell high value products from home improvement stores in several states, including Rhode Island, according to Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Marvin Estuardo Morales De Paz, 33, Abraham Dayger-Enrique, 24, Sebastian Lajuj-Soloman, 30, and Jonathan Josue Amperez-Perez, 31 are alleged to have defrauded Home Depot stores in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania by stealing and selling goods such as power tools, flooring, and other high value items.

Information from multiple police departments, a review of security camera footage from several retailers and a seizure and review of cellphones from the suspects show that they engaged in more than 30 documented thefts.

Court-authorized warrants were executed on April 12 at residences in Providence and Cranston which resulted in the seizure of $11,000 worth of stolen goods from Kohl’s and Home Depot, $83,000 in cash and a 2019 Ford F-150 truck.

Morales De Paz, Dayger-Enrique, and Lajuj-Soloman were arrested in Rhode Island Friday and Amperez-Perez was arrested in Pennsylvania and remains in federal custody awaiting a return to Rhode Island.