Security guard-second person charged in Home Depot thefts
Guam January 13 2019
After the arrest and filing of charges against a security guard accused of receiving monetary tips from a “co-actor” who walked away with thousands of dollars of merchandise from The Home Depot, the alleged co-actor has been arrested and charged.
The second man to be arrested in the theft was identified in Superior Court of Guam documents as Li Gao, or Gao Li.
He was charged Friday with retail theft as a second-degree felony and criminal facilitation to commit retail theft.
Gao knowingly took merchandise valued at more than $1,500 from The Home Depot without paying for it, the complaint states.
The Home Depot reviewed its surveillance cameras after the security guard, Ken Manuel, was allegedly caught on Jan. 9 trying to take four buckets of roof coating worth $246 each without paying.
A Home Depot staffer told police, based on a review of surveillance cameras, that between Dec. 7 and Dec. 28, 2018, Manuel helped Gao take “over $4,700” in Home Depot merchandise and items without paying for them.
Manuel allegedly admitted to police that he helped Gao take the items without paying for about $700 in “tips.”
Police interviewed Gao, who denied stealing anything.
He also denied ever tipping the security guard, but later he admitted he tipped Manuel $20 for New Year’s and that he always tips people who help him carry out items.
