PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 32-year-old Philadelphia man who directed a scheme to steal diesel fuel from gas stations has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
Starting in March 2021, authorities said William Cole would purchase stolen credit card data and direct his co-conspirators to use it to fill up auxiliary tanks with diesel fuel from Philly-area gas stations. He would then resell the fuel at discounted rates.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Cole did this for about two years and took more than $750,000 worth of fuel.
In June 2023, Homeland Security agents searched his home and found a modified fully-automatic pistol. Officials said the 32-year-old had previously been convicted of state drug and gun offenses and was not permitted to possess firearms.
In October, Cole pleaded guilty to his role in the fraud scheme and for illegally possessing a firearm. The office announced on Thursday that a federal judge sentenced him to 70 months behind bars and three years of supervised release.
“Convicted felons like William Cole need to be held accountable for perpetrating fraud schemes targeting commercial businesses,” William Walker, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia, said in a statement.
“Cole fueled his scheme using other people’s stolen information and armed himself with guns he knew he shouldn’t have,” added U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero. “This sentence holds him accountable for both his financial and firearms offenses.”