Three people were arrested on first-degree theft and criminal conspiracy charges on Feb. 15 following a fraud investigation at the Bothell Home Depot.

Alexandria Rodriguez, 19, was an employee at Home Depot where she used ‘ghost items’ to rack up money on Home Depot cards, which she gave to her father, Alejandro Rodriguez, 49, to sell to an Everett pawn shop, police said.

Her boyfriend Jesus Vega, 22, was also arrested in connection with the fraud, which police said totaled more than $39,000.

“They would more or less be given a gift card with monies on it for fake returns,” said Bothell Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ken Seuberlich.

Home Depot’s loss prevention department began investigating Rodriguez in January, by which time they had independently gathered enough evidence for police to make an arrest, Seuberlich said.

“Obviously loss prevention did a very good job, this is their case, they cracked it,” he said.

Seuberlich said false returns are common, with many shoplifters returning to stores they have stolen items from to return them for in-store credit.

All three were booked into King County Jail on Feb. 15, and were released on bond the following day.