A former senior manager who once oversaw real estate tax matters for Home Depot will spend more than three years behind bars, closing a chapter in the Home Depot Exec 3 Years suit that unraveled nearly $2 million in embezzled funds.
U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso on Wednesday sentenced Gene Christopher Acuff to 41 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1.9 million in restitution. The court was told Acuff has already repaid most of the amount owed.
Acuff pleaded guilty last year to one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering.
Judge: “Not a One-Time Lapse”
At the conclusion of an hourlong hearing in federal court in Charlotte, Judge Orso made clear the crime was not an isolated misstep.
“This wasn’t a one-time lapse in judgment,” the judge said, emphasizing the need to deter others entrusted with corporate responsibility from abusing that trust.
Court records show Acuff waived his right to an indictment and entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last summer.
