According to the U.S. Department of Justice last week, a federal grand jury indicted six New York men for stealing used cooling oil and shipping it to Erie.
The indictment charges Guodeng Chen, Didi Huang, and Fangfang Yan of Pittsford, N.Y., as well as Ruimao Yang, Yan Han, and Wen Xiao Zhang of New York City, with conspiracy to transport and sell stolen items in interstate commerce. The indictment also charges Chen, Huang, and Yan with interstate transportation and the sale of stolen items.
The six are accused of plotting to steal leftover cooking oil, which can be converted into biodiesel fuel and resold for $4 to $5 a gallon at various restaurants in Monroe County, New York.
The court produced evidence that Yang, Han, and Zhang drove trucks to eateries, and Zhang stole used cooking oil from oil collection tanks outside those establishments. The defendants then reportedly transferred the stolen cooking oil to Chen, Huang, and Yan in a warehouse. Han worked in the warehouse and helped collect and store the stolen cooking oil, according to authorities.
According to the indictment, Chen, Huang, and Yan sold the stolen cooking oil to a broker and had it transported over state lines to a refinery in Pennsylvania.
According to investigators, Chen, Huang, and Yan arranged for the transportation of about 45,000 pounds of stolen, used cooking oil from western New York to Erie, Pa., in April 2022, for which they received more than $5,000. Later that month, the indictment states that Chen, Huang, and Yan induced another shipment of about 45,000 pounds of stolen, used cooking oil to Erie, costing more than $5,000.
If convicted, the conspiracy accusation carries a possible five-year prison sentence. The transportation and sale of stolen items in interstate commerce carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
