Thomas Kaszas II has been arrested – again.
The former recruiting sergeant for the Georgia Army National Guard was sentenced a decade ago to federal prison for an enlistment scheme in which he fraudulently obtained $26,000. And three years ago, he started a roofing company with the same name as his ex-employer to steal a check made out to them.
His criminal activity continued this year, according to authorities. Kaszas has been charged with theft by deception for allegedly scheming with a cashier at the Evans Lowe’s to steal thousands in shingles and nails. (Kaszas is owner of Spartan Roofing in Evans, according to a sheriff’s report.)
A Lowe’s asset protection manager said Kaszas had worked with cashier Patrick Linder II to steal about $7,500 worth of building material since 2022. A recent report says Kaszas would load about 20 bundles of shingles and nails on a cart. Linder, the cashier, would only charge him for half. The two suspects would then meet at a different location and Kaszas would pay Linder for half of the stolen products.
Linder was charged with theft by deception when the initial report was filed on April 5. Kaszas was arrested last Thursday.
Background. In the 2010 federal case, Kaszas was convicted of submitting the names of numerous Georgia Army National Guard recruits to Docupak, Inc., under the name of another Guard member. Docupak was the government contractor that oversaw a program that paid Guard members up to $2,000 for each recruit they referred who enlisted and went to basic training.
As a recruiting sergeant in the Guard, Kaszas was not eligible to take part in the program. According to the evidence, to circumvent that prohibition, Kaszas fraudulently established and used the name and bank account of another Guard member to forward names of recruits. Kaszas wrongfully obtained $26,000 as a result of his fraud. He was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for that crime and later freed.
In 2020, Kaszas was charged with felony theft by taking, and he later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft by taking.
The victim in that case was Charles Tyre of Bulldawg Roofing of Evans. The victim said the suspect was fired as a sales representative for the company. A deputy contacted Kaszas that day and warned him not to contact any customers or any company employees.
The next day, Tyre stated he became aware that Kaszas had started a company with the same name. He told officers that he believed it was done “to collect checks from existing customers and attempt to cash them and keep the funds.”
He got 12 months of probation in that case, according to court documents. He currently remains free on bond after the most recent arrest.
