An illegal alien crime ring has been busted in Central Florida after stealing over $400,000 in semi-truck parts.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is accusing four members of a crime ring of stealing over $400,000 in truck parts. According to a law enforcement investigation led by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s Organized Crime Task Force, Geosvany Figueredo-Gonzalez, Brian Sanchez-Perez, Orlando Martinez-Dorta, and Liovel Urra-Penate committed dozens of Freightliner semi-truck electronic control module (ECM) burglaries across Florida and Texas.
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All four defendants are facing up to 832 years in prison and deportation.
“We have made it clear that crime doesn’t pay in Florida, and if you’re an illegal alien, we will work with the Trump administration to remove you from our country,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “I’m grateful for the hard work by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in this case for uncovering this massive scheme. Our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure the only thing coming for these criminal aliens is a strong prison sentence and a flight back to where they came from.”
The investigation began in May 2025, when investigators from the HCSO Organized Crime Task Force discovered a pattern of thefts of Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) from Freightliner semi-trucks parked in short-term storage parks. ECMs are regarded as a truck’s “brain”; without them, the vehicle is utterly useless.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office provided crucial leads, verifying the detectives’ initial suspicion that the thefts were part of a larger criminal operation.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution assisted in securing 25 search warrants and investigative subpoenas. Surveillance investigations indicated that the suspects were based in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and stole over $400,000 in ECMs. In addition, they inflicted $370,000 in damage by breaking apart engine compartments and severing electrical harnesses to remove the ECMs.
All four criminals were identified and apprehended with the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Police Department, bringing a stop to their multi-jurisdictional crime spree.
“This case is a strong example of what can be accomplished when local and state agencies work as one,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “The support from Attorney General James Uthmeier and our statewide prosecutors was not just helpful but essential. Without their partnership, the scope and success of this investigation simply would not have been possible. Together, we didn’t just gather intelligence, we acted on it and delivered justice.”
Based on evidence gathered throughout the investigation, law authorities linked the defendants to ECM theft cases in Hillsborough County, Duval County, Lee County, and Polk County in Florida, as well as cases in Travis County and Williamson County in Texas. The defendants stole $404,668 worth of ECMs, incurred $372,000 in truck repairs, and stole from 93 truck owners.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution accused the defendants of violating the Florida Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and committing many counts of stealing from vehicles, with added charges for doing this across different counties.
The defendants are still awaiting trial; however, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued ICE detainers to three of the four defendants and will reconsider the fourth defendant’s permanent resident status if convicted.
