Source: The State of Paraná - PR - HOME - 16/10/2009

After three months of investigation, the Special Police Operations Center (Cope) carried out four search and seizure warrants against the assets of three people, suspected of diverting more than R $ 1 million from a plant in Umuarama, northwest of the state.

Renato Aparecido Rondis, 24, an employee of the plant, who was to be the leader of the gang, his co-worker Fábio dos Santos, 27, and José Alessandro Gonçalves, owner of Auto Posto Cafezal, have already had their preventive custody requested. The trio was indicted for fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion.

According to Chief Constable Francisco Caricati, the three defendants began to be investigated after the owner of the alcohol and sugar plant, located in Perobal, near Umuarama, suspected that inventories had changed and that employees were stealing fuel.

“The plant's owner automated the supply system for the tank trucks, which carried out the transport to the stations, and confirmed the great diversion”, explained the delegate.

Fraud

The delegate also said that the suspects diverted fuel during off-peak hours or on weekends. “Employees caused the machine to crash to release fuel, without generating information for the company's accounting and without issuing an invoice. All the alcohol diverted went to the tanker of the owner of the post in the city ”, added Caricati.

Posto

The stolen fuel was distributed in several stations and the profit was divided. Two other former employees of the plant were also involved in the scheme, but one of them died and the other collaborated with the investigations and, therefore, there was no request for his temporary arrest.

The investigation was finalized by the police and sent to justice. An Omega from the owner of the post and a pickup truck and an Astra were seized.