Secret Service Arrests Home Depot Employee for Passing $387,500 in Counterfeit Currency

PHOENIX – United States Secret Service agents arrested Tempe Home Depot employee Adrian Jean Pineda for passing $387,500 in counterfeit U.S. currency.  Pineda will appear in federal court in Phoenix for violation of 18 USC 472 – Uttering of Counterfeit U.S. Currency.  

U.S. Secret Service agents from the Phoenix Field Office arrested Pineda at the Home Depot in Tempe.  Pineda was a vault associate with Home Depot responsible for preparing cash from registers for bank deposits, a process that included counting cash and sealing cash bags for transfer and deposit to Wells Fargo Bank.  

According to the criminal complaint, Pineda is accused of taking genuine currency from the Home Depot’s deposits and replacing the genuine currency with counterfeit currency during his shift.  From January 2018 to January 2022, Home Depot recorded $387,500 in losses due to receiving counterfeit notes in their cash deposits.

“The Secret Service was originally formed in 1865 to enforce federal laws against counterfeiting,” said U.S. Secret Service Phoenix Field Office Special Agent in Charge Frank Boudreaux Jr. “This case illustrates the continued commitment of the Secret Service and the US Attorney’s Office to investigating and prosecuting counterfeit violations.  Yesterday’s arrest and search warrant operation marked the culmination of a strategic investigation enacted by Phoenix special agents, Home Depot security personnel and Wells Fargo Bank.  I’m extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of all involved and thank our partners for their commitment and vigilance.  
  
During Pineda’s arrest on January 31, 2022, U.S. Secret Service agents seized $5,000 in counterfeit currency and recovered $5,300 in genuine currency.  An additional $22,000 in genuine currency was recovered during the execution of a search warrant at Pineda’s residence.  Adrian Pineda is scheduled to appear for a status hearing in the District of Arizona Federal Courthouse Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.   

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Learn more about the U.S. Secret Service investigative mission.