Man sentenced for years long scheme to steal diesel fuel from Philadelphia gas stations
A gas pump is seen at the old Phillips 66 gas station which now serves as a museum to Billy Carter, brother of former US President Jimmy Carter, in Plains, Georgia, on February 21, 2023. - Jimmy Carter, the 98-year-old former US president who led the
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man was sentenced to more than five years in prison for orchestrating a scheme to purchase diesel gasoline using stolen credit card information.
William Cole, 32, pleaded guilty last October to one count each of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Prosecutors said from March 2021 to June 2023, Cole bought stolen credit card data and had his co-conspirators fill up auxiliary tanks at Philadelphia-area gas stations with more than $750K worth of diesel fuel. Cole would then resell the diesel fuel at a discounted rate.
Federal investigators searched Cole's home last summer and found a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun loaded with more than a dozen rounds. A Glock 27 that was also found during the search was modified with a conversion kit that made it fully automatic.
Cole, according to prosecutors, was previously charged in Pennsylvania with gun and drug offenses, and was not allowed to own firearms.
"Cole fueled his scheme using other people’s stolen information and armed himself with guns he knew he shouldn’t have," U.S. Attorney Romero said. "This sentence holds him accountable for both his financial and firearms offenses.