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.
