Monday, May 14, 2012

Modesto, California: Making copper theft a federal crime

Stealing copper wire – common throughout the Central Valley – is usually prosecuted locally under state law.

But as two men from Modesto have discovered, location matters in more than real estate.

Robin Neal Vanderheiden, 32, and Kody Estepp, 22, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal copper wire -- federal property -- from the Modesto Airport.

According to court documents, on several occasions in January, Messrs Vanderheiden and Estepp broke into lighting towers at the airport and stole copper wire from the enclosed systems.

The copper wire is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration – making it federal wire.

The pair sold the stolen copper wire for cash or illegal narcotics, says U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.

When sentenced in August, the two will face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Had the wire not been owned by Uncle Sam, it might have been a crime prosecuted under state law. That carries a one-year sentence in the local jail – or less.

Source:   http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com

(Press Release) 32-year-old Robin Neal Vanderheiden, aka Jeremy Wayne Patrick, and 22-year-old Kody Estepp, both of Modesto, pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal federal property from the Modesto Airport, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, on several occasions in January 2012, Vanderheiden and Estepp broke into lighting towers at the Modesto Airport and stole copper wire from the enclosed systems. The copper wire is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants sold the stolen copper wire in return for cash or illegal narcotics.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General and the Modesto Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Rabenn is prosecuting the case.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on August 6, 2012 by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill. They face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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