Three people, including a heavy equipment operator for the Colorado Department of Transportation, have been charged in connection with a fuel theft ring, accused of stealing fuel from CDOT.
The charges allege that Jaime Perez, 39, through his job as a CDOT heavy equipment operator, cloned state fuel cards and provided them to two men who used them to purchase large amounts of diesel fuel which they sold to others, primarily truck drivers.
The two men are identified as Fernando Ibarra-Gonzalez, 42, and Asuncion Aguirre-Barron, 40.
All three men are currently in Denver County Jail.
According to an arrest affidavit, the men have stolen more than $200,000 worth of diesel fuel with the cloned fuel cards.
Perez was arrested in 2001 for several crimes, including a violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Act, the affidavit said. The COCCA charge was related to a marijuana and methamphetamine distribution ring. Perez was arrested in Grand Junction on “Fuel Piracy” charges which were later dismissed.
The documents said that Ibarra-Gonzalez and Aguirre-Barron would drive into gas stations in Lakewood, Denver and Westminster and use the cards to fill auxiliary gas tanks mounted in the bed of a white Ford truck.
The two would run two pumps to the vehicle – one pump to fuel the truck, the other to fuel the auxiliary tanks mounted on the bed.
After the fill-up, the suspects would off-load the fuel by hand-pumping it into semi trucks or other vehicles, according to the arrest affidavit.
The off-loading occurred at various locations, including trucking businesses in Commerce City and Denver, and a truck stop in Brighton.
Bond is set for Perez at $750,000, who is also being held on a parole violation. Bond is set at $500,000 for Ibarra-Gonzalez and Aguirre-Barron, who are also on ICE holds.
All are charged with violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, theft, conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit embezzlement of public property and seven counts of embezzlement of public property.
CDOT executive director Russ George requested the assistance of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after a CDOT supervisor discovered the thefts.
The case is being prosecuted by Denver district attorney Mitch Morrissey.
Numerous agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Northglenn and Westminster Police Departments, the Colorado State Patrol, and the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
