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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.

Bogus Invoices and Shell Companies

According to the bill of information, Acuff served as a senior manager for Home Depot, identified in court filings as “Company A.” During Wednesday’s hearing, a corporate representative for the home improvement retailer addressed the court while holding one of the company’s signature orange aprons — a stark symbol of a brand built on trust and reliability.

Prosecutors said Acuff orchestrated a scheme involving fraudulent invoices for real estate appraisal services purportedly used to evaluate tax assessments at Home Depot stores. Instead of legitimate vendors, payments were routed to shell companies he created.

Between January 2020 and June 2024, the false invoices generated approximately $1.9 million in payments, the government said.

The scheme, prosecutors argued, was deliberate and sustained — not a momentary slip but a calculated breach carried out over years.

Legal Teams and Restitution

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina prosecuted the case, with Michael Savage and Benjamin Bain-Creed representing the government.

Acuff was represented by Eli Timberg and Anthony G. Scheer of Rawls Scheer Clary & Mingo PLLC.

With sentencing now complete, the Home Depot Exec 3 Years suit stands as a cautionary tale — a reminder that positions of corporate trust can quickly turn into prison terms when accountability gives way to deception.