Categories: Briefs

L.A. Rec and Parks Employee Arrested for Pilfering 800 Gallons from the City

 

“I’ve slowed down a lot. I drive here from San Diego and I set the cruise control for 55 miles per hour. I’ve gon e from using three-eighths of a tank to less than a quarter. And for work, we use five, five-gallon tanks a day for the welding equipment. My boss’s truck costs $90 for just one trip, because it’s diesel. I’m supposed to be getting a raise soon and it’s all going to go towards gas now.” Scott Crabtree June 12, 2008 edition of RLn

A month after the uproar when Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel released a scathing report that $7 million in fuel expenditures were unaccounted for, a city employee and a city resident were arrested after a lengthy investigation into gasoline thefts from City fueling facilities.

Southeast Detectives received a tip that someone was stealing gasoline from City fueling facilities in April and that the suspect was possibly a Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks employee. Surveillance was set up on fuel stations at Southeast and 77th Street Area Community Police Stations and a Department of Transportation fueling site. After many hours of surveillance two suspects were identified.

On May 21, 2012, 46-year-old Michael Anthony Lee, a 12-year veteran of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, assigned to Algin Sutton Recreation Center, and an accomplice, 47-year-old Shane Anthony Gansterer, a resident of Los Angeles, were arrested by Southeast Detectives. Lee was booked for Embezzlement and is being held on $50,000 bail. Gansterer was booked for Receiving Stolen Property and is being held on $20,000 bail. Lee was reportedly on duty when the thefts occurred. He is believed responsible for stealing more than 800 gallons of gasoline over a three month period of time.

Terelle Jerricks

During his two decade tenure, he has investigated, reported on, written and assisted with hundreds of stories related to environmental concerns, affordable housing, development that exacerbates wealth inequality and the housing crisis, labor issues and community policing or the lack thereof.

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