A federal grand jury in Lubbock sent down indictments for 14 suspects from Texas and New Mexico for their alleged role in a large-scale oil theft conspiracy in the Permian Basin, according to press release.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould, the defendants were indicted on conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce, and others for interstate transportation of stolen property, and receipt, possession or sale of stolen property in conspiring to transport stolen crude oil across the New Mexico-Texas border. Some of the oil was alleged stored on land that was leased from the United States government and then sold to at prices significantly below West Texas Intermediate pricing.
Texas defendants include Randell Wayne Reid of Electra, James Darrell Reid of Electra, and Christopher Frederick Harris of Seminole, Texas. New Mexico defendants, all from Lovington, include Louis George Edgett, Brenden Floyd Strickland, Sixto Herrera- Estebane, Gyardo Gonzalez, Jesus Martin Hernandez-Borja, Diana Marquez Rojo, Jose Luis Rojo, Jose Mario Rivas-Mendoza, Miguel A. Soto, Tavares Montrail Cole, and Danny Dale Brown Jr.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to ten years in federal prison on each count of interstate transportation of stolen property, and receipt, possession, or sale of stolen property.
The Bureau of Land Management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety-Criminal Investigation Division, Lea County, New Mexico Sheriff ’s Office, and the Eddy County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Howey is prosecuting the case.
The Permian Basin is a vast sedimentary shale basin spanning over 86,000 square miles in Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. It is the largest oil-producing region in the United States and accounts for the majority of all U.S. crude oil production.