Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Rajesh Sanichar, 55, of Orlando, and Rasheed Apanpa, 39, of Miami, following a box-stuffing scheme to defraud home improvement stores in Orlando, and Miami. Sanichar is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000 and 10 counts of criminal use of personal identification information. Apana is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud under $20,000 and two counts of criminal use of personal identification information
The investigation shows that Apanpa would empty boxes of tile that were being sold from store shelves and then fill them with high-value items. Once the boxes were stuffed with higher priced merchandise, he would pay for the lower cost tile and not the expensive concealed merchandise.
After stealing the items, Sanichar, using fake ID cards, returned the stolen items for in-store credit which he would sell. The scam resulted in a loss of more than $60,000 at stores in Orlando and Miami.
Sanichar was arrested May 24 by FDLE agents with assistance from Orange County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Orange County Jail. Apanpa was arrested earlier today and booked into the Broward County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.
