U.S. Federal Grand Jury Indicts Multiple Defendants in Multi-State Used Cooking Oil Theft and Money Laundering Case

Des Moines, Iowa —

On December 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in Des Moines returned a nine-count indictment charging multiple individuals with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines, and money laundering.

According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly stole used cooking oil, which can be refined into biodiesel fuel and resold. The defendants are accused of driving trucks to restaurants in Iowa, as well as in Tennessee, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kentucky, where they stole or attempted to steal cooking oil from on-site collection tanks.

Prosecutors allege that the stolen cooking oil was then transported across state lines to warehouses in Nevada, Ankeny, Iowa, Lewisburg, Tennessee, Dora, Alabama, and Tipp City, Ohio. The defendants allegedly sold the stolen oil and laundered the proceeds to conceal the source of the funds.

The case highlights the growing economic value of used cooking oil within the biodiesel supply chain and underscores continued federal enforcement efforts targeting organized, interstate theft and related financial crimes.