Kent Police are looking for a 44-year-old Federal Way man in connection with the recent theft of more than $250,000 of diesel fuel from Pacific Pride, a commercial fuel distributor with locations in Kent and other nearby cities.
The man is under investigation for stealing fuel cards and then using the cards to sell the diesel for a reduced price at night when the service stations do not have attendants, according to a Kent Police media release sent out Thursday.
Pacific Pride, which has two stations in Kent, has fuel stations open at night to customers who have fuel cards. Those cards are similar to credit cards and allow truckers to get fuel at night. Pacific Pride has upgraded its surveillance and security because of the reported thefts.
The Federal Way man reportedly stole several fuel cards from companies where he had previously worked or he broke into semi-trucks to steal fuel cards, according to the media release.
The man would then contact independent truckers and meet them at a fueling station. Each truck would take about 100 gallons of diesel.
Four people have reported the theft of their cards and the loss of tens of thousands of dollars each.
“The real victims in this scheme are hard-working small businesses and truckers who are being charged for the fuel on their cards,” Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan stated in the release. “We want to support local business by stopping this criminal enterprise.”
Anyone with information on the case should call 911.
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