WILMINGTON, DE — A months-long retail fraud investigation spanning dozens of store visits and multiple stolen identities has led to the arrest of a New Jersey man now facing a slate of felony charges in Delaware, state police announced.
According to the Delaware State Police, 31-year-old Christian Pacheco of Perth Amboy was arrested following an investigation into alleged identity theft and payment card fraud tied to repeated purchases at Home Depot locations across the state.
Police said the case began in October 2025, when a Home Depot corporate investigator contacted the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Financial Crimes Unit to report suspicious activity involving multiple fraudulent transactions. Detectives determined that between August and September 2025, a suspect allegedly visited various Home Depot stores in Delaware on 28 occasions.
During those visits, investigators allege the suspect told store employees he had forgotten his Home Depot credit card and instead provided the Social Security numbers of legitimate cardholders. Police said the suspect also presented fraudulent identification cards that displayed his photograph but contained victims’ personal information. Authorities allege the scheme involved the stolen identities of multiple cardholders and resulted in more than $24,000 in fraudulent purchases.
Through investigative efforts, detectives identified Pacheco as the alleged suspect and obtained arrest warrants. Police said he was taken into custody on January 5 at an airport in New Jersey.
On January 29, Pacheco was transferred to Delaware, processed at Troop 2, and arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11. He was released after posting a $63,750 cash bond, police said.
Pacheco was charged with 28 felony counts of identity theft, 28 felony counts of second-degree forgery, 19 felony counts of unlawful use of a payment card involving victims age 62 or older, six felony counts of second-degree conspiracy, 28 counts of theft under $1,500, nine counts of unlawful use of a payment card, and shoplifting under $1,500.
All charges are allegations. Pacheco is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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