Man gets 15 months in scam targeting Lowe's stores

HAMMOND, Ind. — A federal judge has sentenced a Serbian immigrant to 15 months in prison for stealing almost $70,000 in Lowe's hardware in a scheme that spanned more than a dozen states and nearly 100 stores.

Court records show Branko Nenadic made fake bar code stickers to ring up lower prices than listed for chain saws, faucets, and other merchandise. The 27-year-old Schererville man paid at self-checkout lanes, then removed the stickers and returned the items for their real retail value. He also sold some on eBay.

Nenadic entered a guilty plea under a deal with prosecutors. He apologized through a translator at his sentencing Wednesday.

His attorney, William Padula, says Nenadic had been in the U.S. for nearly 10 years and likely will be deported after serving his sentence.