Investigators recovered nearly $600,000 in copper wire taken from an Illinois freight shipment through allegedly fraudulent means and recovered in Kentucky after an interstate investigation.
A trailer stolen Sept. 10 in Oak Forest, a Chicago suburb about 15 miles southwest of downtown, was used to fraudulently pick up six pallets of coils of copper wire in DeKalb, about 40 miles west of the city, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Organized Crime Unit, which opened the investigation, according to a report.
“The shipment was arranged under false pretenses by fraudulent individuals seeking to steal the shipment,” said Mary Keller, spokeswoman for Verisk CargoNet, a cargo theft prevention and recovery network that assisted in the investigation.
Investigators located the six pallets in Kentucky within eight hours of the theft being reported, according to a LinkedIn post by Cook County Sheriff’s Police Commander Michael Ware.
The original destination of the copper wire was Rock Hill, SC, but the thieves allegedly used the identity of a legitimate motor carrier and posted contact information to falsely obtain the copper coils. They allegedly diverted the coils to Kentucky, where Prestonsburg Police Department detectives observed a forklift unloading copper coils from a commercial vehicle to a warehouse loading dock. The driver of the forklift allegedly fled the scene after seeing police in the parking lot, WSAZ TV reported.
Christopher Delgado, 24, of California, was arrested and charged with receiving property valued at more than $10,000 and fleeing/eluding police on foot. Delgado did not provide his hometown.
Investigators traced six pallets of stolen copper wire from DeKalb, Illinois to Prestonsburg, Kentucky after a stolen trailer was allegedly used to fraudulently obtain the shipment. Click to enlarge.
Map/ENR
Police also arrested Haykaz Gasparyan, 43, of Tujunga, California, who was charged with driving with false documentation after he allegedly impersonated the company he was supposed to pick up the cargo from.
Authorities arrested both suspects and booked them into the Floyd County, Kentucky Detention Center. Both are being held on $250,000 bond and were still in custody as of Sept. 22, the county detention center said.
Keller says the copper wire stolen is a type used to make finished copper products such as HVAC line assemblies.
“Copper theft remains a major concern in the construction, infrastructure and transportation sectors,” says Keller. “While copper has long been a target for its resale value, current market dynamics have made it even more attractive to thieves.”
Market dynamics driving copper theft include investments in power grid modernization, renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, data centers and commercial construction, which Keller says have increased demand for copper and expanded the volume of copper products moving through supply chains.
