Crude Oil Thieves Plead Guilty, Face Prison Time

Fourteen individuals were charged in a conspiracy to steal crude oil from Permian Basin producers and resell it at discounted rates. Six of those defendants have pleaded guilty, including Gyardo Gonzalez, Mario Mendoza, Miguel A. Soto, Luis Rojo, Diana Marquez Rojo, and Jesus Martin Hernandez-Borja. The group stole tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil from eastern New Mexico producers.

The stolen oil was sold to Louis George Edgett and Brenden Floyd Strickland at well below market prices. Edgett and Strickland paid between $10 and $15 per barrel, while the oil's market value was significantly higher. For example, one conspirator admitted selling 10,975 barrels of stolen crude oil with an estimated market value of $888,975 for just $164,625.

The defendants who pleaded guilty face up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000. They also must pay restitution to the victims. A seventh defendant, Tavares Montrail Cole, has admitted to participating in the conspiracy but his rearraignment is scheduled for August 3.