http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/man-accused-diaper-scam-entrepreneur-article-1.2190377
Kevin Hargrove was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of diapers from grocery stores in and around New York City, officials said Friday.
A daring "Diaper Don" who allegedly scammed area supermarkets out of thousands of dollars worth of Huggies and Pampers was described Saturday as an “entrepreneur” by family.
Ever since Kevin Hargrove was young, he has been looking to make money, family members explained.
In Bridgeport, Conn., where he grew up, he was known for selling T-shirts at parades, according to his uncle Eugene Hargrove.
“(He’s an) entrepreneur,” Hargrove’s 50-year-old uncle said when reached by phone Saturday.
“He’s not a criminal. He’s well mannered. He stayed in church.”
But when told of the charges, the relative couldn’t condone his actions.
“I think he shouldn’t have been doing that,” Hargrove’s uncle said about the alleged thefts. “Hopefully he’ll learn from this. Kevin’s just a nice person.”
On Saturday, Hargrove, 24, stewed in a jail cell in Nassau County, facing multiple counts of grand larceny and falsifying business records.
He’s accused of scamming scores of Stop & Shop supermarkets throughout the tri-state area out of pricey jumbo bags of diapers, by switching the products’ barcodes with ones from 99-cent disposable aluminum pie plates, officials said.
“If I had to guess I’ve hit every Stop & Shop in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut,” Hargrove admitted to police, according to court papers.
“I’ve been doing this so long I can’t remember.”
In one incident, he paid $1.06 for $99.36 worth of diapers at a Stop & Shop in West Hempstead on Jan. 23, according to prosecutors. All of his fraudulent transactions were done at self-checkout stations, so no one knew about the theft until it was too late, officials said.
The young father told detectives he was keeping some diapers for his own family, but was stealing mostly to sell them, officials said. He made off with a wide variety of brands and sizes.
Kevin Hargrove was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of diapers from grocery stores in and around New York City, officials said Friday.
A daring "Diaper Don" who allegedly scammed area supermarkets out of thousands of dollars worth of Huggies and Pampers was described Saturday as an “entrepreneur” by family.
Ever since Kevin Hargrove was young, he has been looking to make money, family members explained.
In Bridgeport, Conn., where he grew up, he was known for selling T-shirts at parades, according to his uncle Eugene Hargrove.
“(He’s an) entrepreneur,” Hargrove’s 50-year-old uncle said when reached by phone Saturday.
“He’s not a criminal. He’s well mannered. He stayed in church.”
But when told of the charges, the relative couldn’t condone his actions.
“I think he shouldn’t have been doing that,” Hargrove’s uncle said about the alleged thefts. “Hopefully he’ll learn from this. Kevin’s just a nice person.”
On Saturday, Hargrove, 24, stewed in a jail cell in Nassau County, facing multiple counts of grand larceny and falsifying business records.
He’s accused of scamming scores of Stop & Shop supermarkets throughout the tri-state area out of pricey jumbo bags of diapers, by switching the products’ barcodes with ones from 99-cent disposable aluminum pie plates, officials said.
“If I had to guess I’ve hit every Stop & Shop in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut,” Hargrove admitted to police, according to court papers.
“I’ve been doing this so long I can’t remember.”
In one incident, he paid $1.06 for $99.36 worth of diapers at a Stop & Shop in West Hempstead on Jan. 23, according to prosecutors. All of his fraudulent transactions were done at self-checkout stations, so no one knew about the theft until it was too late, officials said.
The young father told detectives he was keeping some diapers for his own family, but was stealing mostly to sell them, officials said. He made off with a wide variety of brands and sizes.
