HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Five men were arrested in Homestead after attempting to steal extremely valuable copper wiring.
The Homestead Police Department announced the arrests Sunday.
The wire is valued at approximately $30,000 and belongs to AT&T.
According to police, the subjects had an elaborate scheme which included cutting and capping the wire so not to alert AT&T of the damage.
After waiting a few days, the subjects then dressed in construction outfits and returned to the location with trucks and equipment to pull up the underground wiring, police said.
An officer with Homestead PD that had been previously alerted to the subjects’ scheme, observed them in the act and called for backup.
All five men were subsequently arrested and charged with numerous crimes.
They have been identified as Yordan Ramirez, 42, Ivan Perez-Garcia, 55, Eric Gonzalez-Pando, 24, Francisco Alberto Guiterrez, 50, and Ermes Gonzalez-Pando, 43.
Officers also found two firearms in the possession of Ramirez, a convicted felon. Police said he will “most likely face federal charges for possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon.”
Two of the subjects have prior arrets with the Miami-Dade County Police Department, police said.
AT&T estimates the repair work to cost more than $100,000.