Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Millions of dollars of used cooking oil is stolen each year, and is threatening Buffalo Biodiesel, a company that refines the oil into green energy.
Former Erie County District Attorney, now attorney for Lippes Mathias LLP, John Flynn believes Buffalo Biodiesel and restaurants all over the Northeast are victims of organized crime.
"They realize the amount of money in this used cooking oil, so they are now hiring individuals, criminals, to go around to various parking lots and break into these VATS and suck the cooking oil out themselves into their own storage containers that they have in a truck that they pull in the parking lot," stated Flynn in an interview with WBEN. "Once they suck all the oil out, they'll then get in the truck and take off. Believe it or not, this is being done hundreds of times a month, all over the state, all over Erie County, and all over the country."
Flynn says after they take the oil, they'll transport it to a site where they can clean it.
"There's still chicken wing parts, skin, French fries, and whatever, that are still in the cooking oil. Exxon and Chevron and the big oil and gas companies, they don't want that. They want the clean cooking oil that's been filtered. So you've got to take it somewhere to clean it out and get rid of the chicken wing skin and pieces and French fries and whatnot. So they take it there, and they get it cleaned out, and then eventually it makes its way to to various subsidiary distributors who buy it, and then they sell it to the big oil and gas company.
Flynn explains that criminals who are caught are only being charged with larceny and criminal mischief. However, he's hoping to change that soon.
"We're trying to get the US attorney involved, and the Attorney General's Offices involved in various states to have these crimes prosecuted as a organized crime, a RICO violation. If we can get it as a RICO violation, a racketeering charge, now you're looking at some serious crime here. But, in order to do that, you've got to prove that there's an organized element to that, that there's a ringleader involved, that there's instructions being involved, that is kind of an organized crime here, with the different mechanics and elements that are taking place here," stated Flynn.
Flynn says any restaurant that has a contract with Buffalo Biodiesel should contact them, and the police, if they suspect oil has been stolen out of their VAT.
"These various locks that are on these VATS, you can smash them, break them. There's really not much you can do to prevent that. Obviously, it's not feasible to have a guard out there 24/7 watching the VATS. That's ridiculous, obviously. The best way to prevent this is to perhaps have a camera out there, or, while the restaurants open, monitor the outside on occasion," stated Flynn.
Used oil thefts can also be reported on Buffalo Biodiesel's website.