3 more suspects arrested in Sunnyvale gas station thefts totaling 30,000 gallons
SUNNYVALE -- Police arrested three additional suspects in a gasoline theft operation that resulted in some 30,000 gallons of fuel being stolen from a gas station in Sunnyvale.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) said Thursday that officers responded on December 17 to the Valero Gas Station at 1097 E. Duane for reports of a theft in progress seen by an employee on the station's surveillance system. The employee recognized one suspect as someone who had previously gained unauthorized access to the gas pump computer multiple times to steal gas.
DPS said the person, identified as Michael Muaddi, had a felony affidavit out for his arrest. Officers arrived at the gas station and conducted high-risk stops on two suspect vehicles. Muaddi, and two other suspects, Jesse Cota Jr. and Erica Luna, were detained.
According to DPS, Muaddi was seen on surveillance video activating a computer for a fuel pump, pumping gas into a vehicle occupied by Cota Jr, and placing a bag in an adjacent garbage can. Officers retrieved the bag and found 169.4 grams of methamphetamine and 13 pills of prescription medication Tadalafil.
Muaddi was arrested for the felony affidavit for unauthorized computer access to defraud, possession of methamphetamine for sales, conspiracy, petty theft, and possessing/receiving stolen property. Both Cota Jr and Luna were arrested on charges of conspiracy, petty theft and possessing/receiving stolen property.
The arrests came three days after three other suspects were arrested for stealing gas at the same Valero station. A statement from DPS at the time said, "For weeks, these suspects had been conspiring together in a sophisticated operation to thwart security devices and pump electronics to steal large amounts of gasoline from the business."
DPS did not specify exactly how the suspects bypassed the security devices on the pumps to steal gas. The department said the cases are associated and in total, the suspects stole 30,000 gallons of gas from the station and caused damage to pumps totaling $20,000, equaling a total loss of $200,000.
