In a brazen scheme that left restaurants in Rhode Island and Massachusetts scrambling for their used cooking oil, two brothers from Cranston have pleaded guilty to stealing millions of gallons of the precious resource.
Andrew Jeremiah, 78, and his brother Bruce Jeremiah, 72, were sentenced to up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 each for their role in the massive cooking oil heist. The brothers were found guilty of conspiring to unlawfully transport stolen goods with a value in excess of $5,000.
Between January 1, 2011, and November 9, 2012, the Jeremiah brothers conspired to steal used vegetable cooking oil from restaurants in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The oil was then sold to a New Hampshire company that specialized in processing used cooking oil for use in animal feed and biofuel.
The brothers were aided in their scheme by Anthony Simone, Sr., 60, of Cranston, who pleaded guilty on August 21, 2013, to one count each of conspiracy to transport in interstate commerce stolen goods and transport in interstate commerce stolen goods. Simone is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on October 1, 2014.
The used cooking oil heist is estimated to have netted the brothers more than $44,730 in cash and a 1984 Ford F700 truck. During the investigation, authorities seized the truck and cash from the brothers.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland. The investigation was conducted by the Central Falls Police Department and the FBI.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the FBI; and Central Falls Police Chief James J. Mendonca.
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Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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