Central Florida men charged with Racketeering in diesel fuel theft scheme

ORLANDO, Fla. – An investigation into gasoline pump manipulators by News 6 and the Orlando U.S. Secret Service workplace has sparked an aggressive authorized salvo by state prosecutors resulting in the arrest of three Central Florida men charged with a number of counts of racketeering.

Investigators inform News 6 the men recognized as Luis Sandy Alonso, Osniel Valdez and Alexander Infante focused Duval County and different components of northern Florida to put in counterfeit pulsar units inside gasoline station pumps to decelerate the mechanism that calculates gallons offered and the value you pay on the pump.

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Senior Special Agent Roger Fuentes of the Orlando Secret Service advised News 6 the suspects mentioned they selected northern Florida as a result of they thought it might be simpler to function there.

A 5-month investigation by the Secret Service Jacksonville workplace led to the arrests in Osceola and Orange counties Wednesday morning.

“This is the primary time we’ve ever charged racketeering in relation to diesel theft ” Fuentes said,” It’s never been done before and it’s being spearheaded by the state attorney’s office.”

Fuentes said he hoped the charges will set a precedent and deliver a “big deterrence” to the fuel thefts being reported in Florida and across the country.

The device being sold on the streets for as much as $5-thousand dollars can be built for $40 dollars in parts and batteries.

Investigators told News 6 a fourth suspect is expected to be arrested in the case.

Senior Special agent Lawrence Lomonaco who led the investigation for the Jacksonville Secret Service office said the suspects would travel to north Florida and “commit the fuel theft” then they would transport the fuel and bring them to several fuel yards in the Jacksonville north Florida area.

“From there the fuel would be resold to independent truckers or LLC’s,” Lomonaco said, “Or at times they would load stolen diesel fuel into trailers and bring it back to central Florida.”

Lomonaco said the original News 6 reporting on the pulsar device caught the attention of the statewide prosecutor’s office and launched the investigation in the Jacksonville area.

This arrests concerned a joint operation with the U.S. Secret Service, FHP, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture, OPD, Orange and Osceola County sheriff’s places of work.