For years, organized crews of thieves targeted Home Depot stores in Southern California. They worked systematically, often hitting every branch of the store in Ventura County in a single day. Over 600 thefts at 71 stores — worth at least $10 million — were committed between January and August 2025, when investigators arrested 14 people for their roles in the crime ring.

Behind the scenes, Christian Hardman, head of eBay’s Criminal and Regulatory Investigations Team, coordinated with law enforcement, Home Depot and Schneider Electric, a company that’s merchandise was frequently stolen, to assist in the investigation. 

By poring over eBay’s transaction records, he traced the trail to a seller offering large quantities of Schneider’s products at prices so far below wholesale that they couldn’t possibly be legitimate. To most buyers, it looked like a bargain. To Hardman, it was a flashing red signal that stolen goods were being funneled into the marketplace.

He recognized the pattern immediately: the markings of a major organized retail crime case. And he was right. Working together with two companies and local law enforcement, Hardman helped uncover what would become the largest retail theft ring in Home Depot’s history.

What is Organized Retail Crime? 

Organized Retail Crime (ORC) is far more than petty shoplifting. It’s a coordinated effort to sell merchandise in bulk with the intent to re-sell it, typically through online marketplaces like eBay, Craigslist or others.

“This wasn’t shoplifting. It was a criminal enterprise that allegedly stole millions of dollars, and it was finally stopped here,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said following the Home Depot bust. 

 According to the National Retail Federation, in 2020 alone, ORC cost retailers an average of $720,000 per $1 billion in sales. But even that figure only scratches the surface — the true losses are extremely difficult to measure because so much stolen merchandise slips through undetected.

The impact isn’t just financial. These ORC networks fuel black markets, drive up costs for businesses that ultimately get passed on to the consumer and force retailers to keep their stock behind lock and key. 

From Call Center to Crime-Fighter

Christian Hardman didn’t start out chasing multimillion-dollar theft rings. He joined eBay in 2009 in customer service, handling disputes and claims from buyers and sellers. He soon moved into risk management, where he learned to spot patterns of suspicious activity.

Over time, he built a reputation for seeing how small red flags could add up to major criminal activity. That skillset landed him on eBay’s Criminal and Regulatory Investigations team, where he’s now spent 13 years fighting organized crime with some of the country’s biggest retailers.

Hardman’s work isn’t done in isolation. His leadership on eBay’s Investigations team is part of a larger, industry-leading initiative: the Partnering with Retailers Offensively Against Crime and Theft (PROACT) program. Under PROACT, retail loss prevention teams, manufacturers, law enforcement, and eBay share intelligence, trace suspicious listings, conduct test buys, and build evidence strong enough to sustain criminal prosecutions.

The Home Depot Takedown

Last November, Home Depot, Schneider, and eBay joined forces under PROACT to help track missing cargo and identify possible sources of stolen merchandise. Hardman played the critical role of using eBay data to translate retailer concerns into actionable online evidence so that by the time law enforcement stepped in, they had a clear picture of the operation and the proof they needed to act.

The results were sweeping. In August 2025, officials announced the bust: 14 people arrested, nine facing felony charges, and what prosecutors called the largest organized retail theft ring in Home Depot’s history. During the raids, investigators recovered about $3.7 million in stolen Home Depot property and seized nearly $800,000 in cash.

The Ongoing Battle 

The Home Depot case is just the latest in a string of successful takedowns. Through PROACT, Hardman and his team helped prevent an estimated $50 million in theft at CVS stores in 2023 alone. Working with Barnes & Noble, he traced a UPC sticker scam back to a convicted sex offender in Iowa — whose profits from selling stolen LEGO sets fueled drug trafficking and child exploitation. That investigation ended with a lengthy prison sentence that took this individual off the streets for good. 

For Hardman, his job is a rare chance to make a difference by making eBay and communities nationwide safer.

“I’m proud of what we do,” he said. “It’s not just about preventing theft but helping people feel safe where they shop.”