Madison Man’s “Ticket Switching” Scam Leads to Guilty Plea to Wire Fraud, Attempted Wire Fraud

BANGOR, Maine:  A Madison man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor today to wire fraud and attempted wire fraud.

According to court records, from June 2021 to April 2023, Aaron Hoster, 51, removed UPC labels from low-cost items and applied them to higher-priced items which he then purchased. Hoster defrauded multiple Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement stores in Maine, cheating the retailers out of more than $51,000. In one instance, Hoster purchased a $439 cordless finish nailer kit, paying just $19.98 by scanning a price code for trimmer line. In another example, he scanned a code for an $11.36 chrome-plated plastic tailpiece despite purchasing a powered drain cleaner valued at $429.

Hoster faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated these cases.

###