Man arrested for stealing a truck loaded with $3 million worth of ventilators en route to critical COVID patients

On Thursday, a Florida man was arrested and accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of government owned ventilators that were being transported by truck on the way to an intensive care facility.

Forty-two year old Yoelvis Denis Hernandez was arrested on Thursday in Del Rio, Texas, on an indictment out of southern Florida. He was charged with federal conspiracy, possession of stolen goods being shipped interstate, and theft of government property.

Authorities say that on August 9, 2020, Hernandez and co-conspirator Luis Urra Montero, 24, stole a tractor trailer loaded with 192 medical ventilators as it was en route to Miami International Airport.

The truck was stolen from a lot where the driver left it overnight, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

The ventilators were on the way to a COVID-19 intensive care facility in El Salvador as part of a U.S. government aid program to treat critically ill patients.

Following an investigation, authorities were able to recover most of the ventilators.

Montero was arrested on September 15, 2020, and has also been charged with federal conspiracy, possession of stolen goods being shipped interstate, and theft of government property. He is being held without bond pending trial.

Multiple agencies aided in the investigation of the case, including the FBI, the FBI Miami’s Major Theft Task Force, USAID-OIG, the Boynton Beach Police Department, Miami Dade Police Department, Medley Police Department, City of Miami Gardens Police Department, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Del Rio, and FBI San Antonio.