One man was arrested in Evansville for his role in a large-scale organization to steal gas.
Sunday, police arrested Lazaro Oulego Gonzalez after a gas station employee called to report his suspcious behavior. They say that since October, three different people would come to the station and used stolen credit cards 42 times to steal diesel fuel.
After arresting Gonzalez, they spoke with him and discovered that he was using gift cards to purchase a large amount of fuel, which would be stored in the back of the truck Gonzalez drove.
The gift cards had information tied to a credit card, which the owner had no idea of the scheme.
Gonzalez was then charged for Theft, Forgery, Fraud, and Conspiracy.
Evansville police believe the organization Gonzalez belonged to would put credit card skimming devices on gas pumps, use the stolen information to buy gift cards, then use those cards to purchase large amounts of fuel. The truck Gonzalez drove would make trips from one city to another to repeat this, then sell the diesel they stole.
Police say that only Gonzalez was arrested so far, but other suspects are involved.
If you have any information regarding any other suspects involved in this theft ring, please contact the EPD Financial Crimes Unit at (812) 436-7959. If you have been a victim of credit card fraud, please make sure to report the incident to your local police.
