A Greeley man will have to pay $1.3 million in restitution for tampering with a gas company’s monitoring equipment in Weld County under a plea agreement reached today.
Rex William “Bill” Monahan, 52, pleaded guilty in Weld County District Court to one count of felony theft and one count of misdemeanor theft. As part of the agreement, Monahan will get three years probation, jail time or work release and the restitution.
Monahan’s sentencing is scheduled for May 21.
Monahan, who owns numerous natural gas wells in Weld County, was formally charged last June with four counts of felony theft after months of investigation by DCP Midstream investigators and the Weld DA’s office, said DA spokeswoman Jennifer Finch.
Investigators said Monahan tampered with DCP Midstream’s equipment which monitored the gas output of each well. The tampering, which occurred from July 2004 through May 2006, produced false output readings from each of the wells resulting in more than $1 million in losses to DCP Midstream — formerly Duke Energy.
