Man sentenced to 50 years for diesel fuel theft operation in Texas

This week, a Texas judge sentenced a man to decades in prison for a diesel fuel theft scheme.

On June 17, Duniesky Gonzalez, 39, was sentenced to fifty years in prison by Judge Taylor B. Heaton in a Smith County court.

Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity.

Gonzalez was arrested on January 27, 2023, in Smith County, Texas.

Officials say that Gonzalez helped to steal 9,312 gallons of diesel fuel from gas stations in nine different Texas counties in 2022.

Gonzalez allegedly used fraudulent credit cards to steal diesel. He is also accused of using a “pulsar” device to tamper with fuel pumps in order to pay only a fraction of the price for the diesel.

During sentencing, State Prosecutor Richard Vance said that a fifty year sentence should be the very lowest Gonzalez should receive, and that a “life sentence is not unreasonable,” according to KLTV.

Co-defendants Ramon Perrez-Torres, 31, of Mesquite, and Camila Cruz Concepcion, 26, are still awaiting trial.

“The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Texas Comptroller Investigator Mick Kimbrow and the  investigators with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center for coordinating the investigation amongst 15 different law enforcement  agencies,” said the Smith County District Attorney’s Office.

Proud of the investigative work done by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, the @txcomptroller and Smith County DA's office. Diesel thefts hurt consumers. https://t.co/FK6g269ShY

— tdlrlicense (@tdlrlicense) June 19, 2024