Judge bans Limerick man from Home Depot

NORRISTOWN >> A judge ordered a Limerick man to stay away from Home Depot after the man admitted to stealing merchandise from the West Norriton store at which he worked.

James Anthony Lantonio, 53, of the 300 block of Mulberry Drive, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to seven years in the county’s intermediate punishment program, the first six months of which must be spent under house arrest, after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft by unlawful taking in connection with incidents that occurred between September 2018 and January 2019.

Lantonio will spend the re

mainder of the seven-year sentence under intensive probation.

While under house arrest, Lantonio will be able to leave his home only for court-approved purposes such as work. Court papers do not indicate if Lantonio is currently employed.

But as a condition of the

sentence, Judge Todd D. Eisenberg ordered Lantonio to “stay away” from Home Depot. Lantonio also must pay $9,000 restitution to the Home Depot store located in the 600 block of South Trooper Road in West Norriton.

An investigation began on Jan. 9 when West Norriton police responded to the store for a report of a theft involving Lantonio, an employee of the store.

Store officials provided

detectives with store surveillance photos and video from September 2018 through January 2019 “showing Home Depot merchandise being removed from the store on 41 or more occasions,” according to a criminal complaint filed by West Norriton Detective Michael Hougnon.

Store officials estimated the stolen items as being valued at more than $10,000. Court documents do not indicate the type of

merchandise that was stolen.

The investigation determined Lantonio operated a Craigslist site, using his cellphone and email address, “to sell stolen merchandise from the Home Depot,” Hougnon alleged. The site, according to detectives, had more than 40 listings of items for sale and the listings had a retail value greater than $16,000.

When he was confronted by detectives, Lantonio admitted

to the thefts.

“In his statement, he admitted to receiving approximately $10,000 for items sold, and said that number would be on the low end of the value scale,” Hougnon alleged.

Lantonio also directed detectives to stolen items he had in his personal vehicle, at his residence and in a shed on is property, according to the arrest affidavit. Detectives recovered items valued at about

$5,000 court documents indicate.

“Total value of the loss to Home Depot is estimated to be in excess of $25,000, with the likely total significantly higher,” Hougnon alleged in court documents.

Other charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property were dismissed against Lantonio as part of the plea agreement under which he pleaded guilty to the more serious felony theft charge.