ROME, Ga. – A crew of interstate thieves is facing serious time after being sentenced for a brazen cargo theft ring that ripped off businesses across the Southeast, totaling over $1.7 million in stolen goods. Yunior Hernandez a/k/a “Yunior Hernandez Guzman,” Roberto Quesada Lopez, Carlos Alberto Valdes, and Yubani Millares Vera all received prison sentences following a lengthy federal investigation.
The operation, spanning throughout 2019, saw the defendants systematically targeting shipments. U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan minced no words: “Thefts of interstate shipments disrupt the production and delivery of needed goods and result in detrimental financial impact on businesses, consumers, and the U.S. economy generally.” Buchanan emphasized the office’s commitment to prosecuting these types of crimes and warned others they are a priority.
The FBI, leading the investigation with assistance from Miami-Dade County Police and the Miami Field Office, tracked the stolen goods – and the thieves – across state lines. “This theft conspiracy did not stop at our state border, and neither did our investigation,” stated Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “Thanks to our partnership with Miami agencies, we tracked these thieves across the entire southeast, and now they will be held accountable for their crimes.” The crew wasn’t just lifting trinkets; their targets included vital supplies.
The scope of the thefts is staggering. On May 18, 2019, they hit a Macon, Georgia facility for $500,000 worth of computers. Just over a month later, on June 11, 2019, they stole $640,000 in computers destined for the Centers for Disease Control in Emerson, Georgia. The haul didn’t stop there: $110,000 in copper from Denmark, Tennessee (July 21, 2019); $110,000 in copper from Glade Springs, Virginia (September 2, 2019); another $110,000 in copper from Fairview, Tennessee (October 6, 2019); and finally, $340,000 worth of apparel from Kingsland, Georgia (November 16, 2019). All the stolen goods were ultimately fenced in Florida.
The sentences reflect the severity of the crimes. Yunior Hernandez, 50, of Homestead, Florida, received two years, nine months in prison and three years of supervised release, plus $880,857.43 in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy on December 20, 2022. Carlos Alberto Valdes, 55, of Hialeah, Florida, got three years, ten months, and $1,543,890.60 in restitution following a guilty plea on January 19, 2023. Roberto Quesada Lopez, 44, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced to two years, six months and ordered to pay $1,229,888.32 in restitution after a July 18, 2023, guilty plea. The harshest sentence went to Yubani Millares Vera, 49, of Hialeah, Florida, who received five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a staggering $1,760,479.12 in restitution after pleading guilty on March 14, 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber prosecuted the case. Anyone with further information is directed to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. Details are also available at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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