Two New York men who are Chinese Nationals have pleaded guilty in the theft of used cooking oil in Iowa and eight other states.
Thirty-three-year-old Tianzhu Chen pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and money laundering, and 33-year-old Yong Chen pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. They were accused along with eleven others of stealing or attempting to steal used cooking oil from restaurants in Iowa, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kentucky.
The group would then take the used cooking oil to warehouses in Iowa, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio and Illinois where it could be turned into biodiesel fuel and re-sold. The two face a maximum 20-years in prison for each count when they are sentenced on Jaunuary 29th.
The eleven others charged in the case are set to go to trial on April 12th. Court records show four of those charged live in Des Moines.