2 Men Arrested In Walmart Theft Scam

Idaho Falls police arrested two men Monday who they say used fake receipts to steal thousands of dollars in merchandise from Walmart stores in Idaho and Utah.

Jerel Edward Lewis, 40, and Brandon Scott Gaskill, 39, both of Idaho Falls were arrested at their home in the 1300 block of Ashment Avenue and booked into the Bonneville County Jail on burglary charges.

Police said they received information that in the last 18 months Lewis and Gaskill had used counterfeit receipts to steal from Walmart stores in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Boise and Salt Lake City.

Gaskill and Lewis printed the receipts using photographed barcodes they got with their cell phone cameras. The men would return to the stores, take the merchandise and use the receipts if stopped by store employees, police said.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the house and recovered an estimated $7,500 in merchandise, including a 32? flat screen television, Kitchen Aid mixer, PlayStation 3 and a motorized scooter. Computers and printers were also confiscated.

The case remains under investigation.