Calling it a multi-state organized retail theft investigation, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the arrests of two foreign nationals involved in an organized retail theft ring responsible for more than $1 million in losses to Home Depot stores across the United States.
Simpson said the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) partnered up with local, state, and federal partners to nab the thieves.
It all started after the Home Depot Loss Prevention referred the case to OALE on October 3, 2025. The referral identified a pattern of thefts committed by Lithuanian nationals operating in multiple states.
According to investigators, the suspects traveled from city to city, targeting multiple Home Depot locations over short periods of time. They would purchase high-value battery-powered power tools with foreign Visa debit cards, remove the lithium batteries to render the tools unsellable, and then return the items at other store locations for full refunds.
The group’s criminal activity in Florida occurred between September 29 and 30, 2025, in Escambia and Okaloosa Counties, resulting in losses exceeding $3,500.
Following a thorough investigation led by OALE Special Agents – with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security – the suspects were identified as Mantas Bulicas and Eimantas Bagdonas, both citizens of Lithuania. Arrest warrants were issued on November 3, 2025, for one count each of Organized Retail Theft, a second-degree felony under Florida Statute § 812.015(9)(b).
Florida wasn’t the only state getting hit. The suspects committed similar offenses in at least nine other states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Utah, and Colorado. Home Depot estimates total losses nationwide at over $1 million.
