MIAMI – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested 12 men in a recent copper theft sting.
The men are accused of stealing more than $500,000 in underground copper cable from South Florida to central Florida.
Authorities said the investigation began in October 2014 after they received a request by Florida Power & Light to investigate recent thefts and destruction of underground electric and fiber optic cables.
Prosecutors said seven of the 13 men worked for a company that FPL subcontracted to work on the underground systems.
"These thefts posed a substantial threat to the community by making critical electric and communications infrastructure vulnerable to failure, with at least one theft damaging adjacent fiber optic cables carrying 911 communications," FDLE Miami special agent in charge Troy Walker said.
Authorities said most of the the thefts were reported in Miami-Dade County, but were also reported in Broward and Volusia counties.
"These thieves aimed to put dollars in their pockets by severing those lines of electrical power that keep the pulse of our community beating," Miami-Dade County state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. "They aimed to cut the security of Miami, Miami Beach and all of Miami-Dade County. This joint partnership between my prosecutors, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Power & Light Company security would not let that happen. I am very proud of these final investigative results."
According to prosecutors, the men got away with the thefts for a while because they would wear their work vests and hard hats to pretend that they were still working in the area. They also allegedly put the company logo on personal trucks to avoid getting caught.
Authorities said the men sold the stolen copper to metal recycling facilities in Miami-Dade County.
Below is a list of the suspects and their charges. Authorities said they are searching for one more person involved in the crime ring.
Carlos H. Aragon, 33, Miami.
Charges – RICO, theft of cooper wire, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, burglary to an unoccupied structure, dealing in stolen property, attempted burglary to an unoccupied structure, and possession of burglary tools.
Renier Rolando Ulloa-Castillo, 42, Miami.
Charges – RICO, organized scheme to defraud, theft of copper wire, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, burglary to an unoccupied structure, and attempted burglary to an unoccupied structure.
Yoandys Jose Diaz Zamora, 39, Homestead, Fla.
Charges – RICO, organized scheme to defraud, theft of copper wire, grand theft, burglary to an unoccupied structure, dealing in stolen property and possession of burglary tools.
Leonardo Perez, 59, Homestead, Fla.
Charges – RICO, organized scheme to defraud, theft of copper wire, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, burglary to an unoccupied structure, and possession of burglary tools.
Pedro Omar Alfonso, 44, Miami.
Charges – RICO, organized scheme to defraud, theft of copper wire, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, burglary to an unoccupied structure, and possession of burglary tools.
Ubaldo Medina Sr., 46, Hialeah Gardens, Fla.
Charges – Theft of copper wire, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property.
Marion Mauricio Lezama, 42, North Miami, Fla.
Charges – Theft of copper wire, burglary to an unoccupied structure, attempted burglary to an unoccupied structure, and possession of burglary tools.
Ramon Herrara, 59, Hialeah, Fla.
Charges – Theft of copper wire and grand theft.
Joan Barrios Cruz, 49, Miami.
Charges – RICO, theft of copper wire, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, and money laundering.
Yandy Cruz, 24, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Charges – Burglary to an unoccupied structure, attempted burglary to an unoccupied structure, and possession of burglary tools.
Iraldo Leon, 49, Miami.
Charges – RICO, theft of copper wire, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property.
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