Man accused of stealing nearly $1,000 in merchandise in barcode-swapping scheme at Cape Coral Lowe's

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

A Cape Coral man was arrested at a Lowe's Home Improvement store after being accused of barcode-swapping to steal almost $1,000 worth of merchandise over a 120-day period.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, officers were called to a Lowe's on Northeast Pine Island Road on Monday around 12:44 p.m. The store's loss prevention officer had detained Michael Nappa, 69.

The CCPD said Nappa had removed the barcode from a Gorilla Double-Sided Tape package, which was priced at $7.98, and placed it over the barcode of a package of Heavy-Duty Scotch tape, which was priced at $17.98. Officers located the ripped Gorilla tape barcode in Nappa's pocket.

While investigating the incident, officers found that Nappa was a known repeat offender and had a total of 10 prior retail theft incidents between two Lowe's locations in Cape Coral.

All of the incidents occurred between Nov. 13, 2025, and Feb. 9, 2026, the CCPD said. Within the 120-day period, Nappa used the barcode-swapping method to steal 10 or more items, with a total reported loss of $958.73.

Some of the stolen merchandise included decking materials, paper products, trailer lighting, screen mesh and hardware items.

Nappa was arrested and faces a third-degree felony charge of retail theft.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.