(WNY News Now) Six people have been accused by a federal grand jury with a multi-state plan to steal leftover restaurant cooking oil, a commodity that is needed for the creation of biodiesel fuel.
New York’s Rochester. Federal charges have been brought against six men for allegedly plotting to steal and resell leftover cooking oil, which is frequently converted into biodiesel fuel. U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced the indictment, which charges Ruimao Yang, Yan Han, and Wen Xiao Zhang of New York City, Guodeng Chen, Didi Huang, and Fangfang Yan of Pittsford, N.Y., with conspiring to transport and sell stolen items across state lines.
The maximum punishment for a conviction on the conspiracy accusation is five years in prison. Additional allegations against Chen, Huang, and Yan include the sale and transit of stolen items, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.
The defendants planned to steal used cooking oil from eateries in Monroe County and other areas, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire. Zhang allegedly took this oil from outdoor collection tanks, which would have been worth $4 to $5 per gallon when refined. The stolen oil was taken by Yang, Han, and Zhang to a warehouse run by Chen, Huang, and Yan, where it was kept until it was sold to a broker.
According to the investigation, the defendants made over $5,000 each shipment in April 2022 when they transported around 45,000 pounds of cooking oil that had been stolen from Monroe County to a refinery in Pennsylvania.
The indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities stress that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty and that the allegations are merely accusations.