Four Cuban nationals charged in connection with a criminal theft organization operating in Florida and Texas may face up to 832 years in prison and deportation if convicted.
Their arrests “exemplify the dangers of an open border policy,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a news conference presided over by Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, whose deputies disrupted the crime ring.
According to Uthmeier, one Cuban was in the United States with an Obama-era green card, while three others entered unlawfully during the Biden administration. “They all have criminal backgrounds, and they should not have been here. Yet here they are, orchestrating a conspiracy to deceive our citizens.
“Let this be an example to people out there: leave our citizens alone.”
Chronister stated that his Organized Crime Task Force detectives initiated an investigation in May after observing a pattern of thefts of Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) from Freightliner semi-trucks parked in temporary storage areas. According to Chronister, ECMs are a truck’s “brain”; without them, the vehicle is utterly useless.
The detectives thought that the thefts were part of a bigger criminal operation, which was supported by new information provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Working with the AG’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, they obtained 25 search warrants and investigative subpoenas. Other agencies involved in the operation included the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Police Department.
According to Chronister, the crime ring targeted 93 persons and stole $400,000 in ECMs while causing $370,000 in damage by prying apart engine compartments and severing electrical harnesses.
Investigators discovered that the EMCs were taken from semi-trucks in Florida and Texas. They were able to connect the alleged culprits to ECM theft instances in Hillsborough, Duval, Lee, and Polk Counties in Florida, as well as Travis and Williamson Counties in Texas, using evidence and video footage.
The Cuban nationals, who live in Miami and Palm Beach counties, “are believed to be in the United States without legal status,” he said.
Geosvany Figuerdo-Gonzalez (27), Orlando Martínez-Dorta (27), Brian Sanchez-Perez (28), and Liovel Urra-Penate (28), all Cuban nationals, were detained and charged with 139 counts of RICO, attempted RICO, grand theft, and criminal mischief.
All four were detained and charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering. The first three were charged with 65 charges of grand theft in the third degree, 65 counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance (travel beyond county boundaries), and criminal mischief totaling $1,000 or more.
The four offenders risk up to 832 years in jail and deportation.
“Every single one of them has a criminal history,” the sheriff said. “Some of them more expansive than others.”
Three of them were subject to detainer petitions from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A fourth person’s permanent residency status is being probed, he said.
According to Chronister, detectives discovered a robust secondary market for ECMs, which range in price from $3,000 to $10,000 each. They also discovered that crooks sell the parts to a broker in Texas, who cleans and resells them, he said. Investigators gave over this material to federal law enforcement partners, who launched an extensive investigation. More people are expected to be charged, he said.
“This wasn’t petty theft; this was a calculated criminal enterprise targeting people who help keep our economy moving. These suspects crippled hardworking truck drivers by stealing the technology that powers their livelihoods,” Chronister said. “Thanks to the relentless work of our Organized Crime Task Force and our law enforcement partners, we’ve shut down this operation and sent a clear message: if you cross into Hillsborough County to commit a crime, we’ll cross every line to stop you.”
“We have made it clear that crime doesn’t pay in Florida, and if you’re an illegal alien, we will work with the Trump administration to remove you from our country,” Uthmeier said. “Our statewide prosecutors will ensure the only thing coming for these criminal aliens is a strong prison sentence and a flight back to where they came from.”
