Man accused of defrauding Walmart of more than $600,000

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 21 (UPI) — It took scores of investigators to track down a South Carolina man accused of masterminding the theft of more than $600,000 from Walmart stores, officials said.

Robert Michael Milton, 49, has been arrested on federal charges of wire fraud, trafficking in counterfeit goods and conspiracy to traffic, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported.

Homeland Security investigator Brian Boze said in an affidavit that the cases against Milton stretch back to 2010.

Milton’s scheme involved acquiring counterfeit goods and returning them to Walmart for a refund.

Inside a storage unit belonging to Milton investigators found more than 1,000 counterfeit DVD sets, nearly 1,000 counterfeit copies of Microsoft software, driver’s licenses from Ohio and North Carolina, and nearly 2,000 pre-paid gift cards.

Milton remained jailed in Charlotte Tuesday and faces up to 40 years in prison and $3 million in fines if convicted on the charges.