Former Home Depot Manager Charged in Kickback Scheme

Atlanta A former Home Depot store manager will plead guilty to wire fraud and other charges in a kickback scheme to make money by connecting foreign flooring suppliers with buyers who chose products for the giant retailer, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Anthony Tesvich, 42, is expected to plead guilty to three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the newspaper reported. He faces up to 35 years in prison and a minimum fine of $250,000, plus restitution to Home Depot.

A civil complaint filed in January by U.S. Attorney David Nahmias in Atlanta alleges Tesvich took payoffs from foreign vendors to ensure those vendors' products were chosen for display in Home Depot stores. After Tesvich left the company, the complaint alleges, he also gave substantial cash payments to co-conspirator employees at Home Depot. The scheme occurred between October 2002 and October 2007, according to court documents.

The case is being investigated by the IRS, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI. Home Depot has cooperated in the federal investigation, according to the Department of Justice.