Investigators recovered nearly $600,000 in copper wire taken from an Illinois freight loading through allegedly fraudulent means and recovered in Kentucky after a cross-state investigation.
A trailer stolen Sept. 10 in Oak Forest, a Chicago suburb about 25 miles southwest of downtown, was used to fraudulently pick up six pallets of copper wire reels in DeKalb, about 65 miles west of the city, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Organized Retail Crime Unit, which initiated the investigation, according to one on line report.
“The transportation was arranged under false pretenses by fraudulent individuals who intended to steal the shipment,” said Mary Keller, a spokesperson for Verisk CargoNet, a cargo theft prevention and recovery network that assisted in the investigation.
Investigators located all six pallets in Kentucky within eight hours of the theft being reported, according to a LinkedIn post by Cook County Sheriff’s Police Commander Michael Ware.
The original destination for the copper wire was Rock Hill, S.C., but the thieves allegedly used a legitimate motor carrier’s identity and published contact information to falsely obtain the copper spools. They allegedly diverted the spools to Kentucky where detectives from the Prestonsburg Police Dept. observed a forklift unloading copper spools from a commercial vehicle into a warehouse loading dock. The forklift driver allegedly fled the scene after seeing police in the parking lot, WSAZ TV reported.
Christopher Delgado, 24, of California was taken into custody and charged with receiving property valued at over $10,000 and fleeing/evading police on foot. Delgado did not provide his home city.
Investigators traced six pallets of stolen copper wire from DeKalb, Ill., to Prestonsburg, Ky., after a stolen trailer was allegedly used to fraudulently obtain the shipment. Click to enlarge.
Map/ENR
Police also arrested Haykaz Gasparyan, 43, of Tujunga, Calif., who was charged with driving under false documentation after he allegedly posed as the company that was supposed to pick up the load.
Authorities took both suspects into custody and placed them in the Floyd County, Ky., Detention Center. Both are being held on a $250,000 bond and were still in custody as of Sept. 22, the county detention center said.
Keller says the stolen copper wire is a type used to manufacture finished copper products, such as HVAC line sets.
“Copper theft remains a significant concern across the construction, infrastructure, and transportation sectors,” Keller says. “While copper has long been a target because of its resale value, current market dynamics have made it even more attractive to thieves.”
Those market dynamics driving copper theft include investments in electrical grid modernization, renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, data centers, and commercial construction, which Keller says have increased demand for copper and expanded the volume of copper products moving through supply chains.
Source: www.enr.com
