By Ben Slivnick
Even as gas prices have fallen from last summer to about $2.50 a gallon, it appears that the city of Baltimore is still getting robbed at the pump.
Police say a Department of Public Works truck driver stole more than $58,000 in diesel fuel from city coffers starting in 2007, billing the diesel to a city credit card, then selling the fuel to a ring of car thieves.
Maurice Boone, 44, of the 2600 block of Mura Street, was arrested on Jan. 5 and has been charged with theft and unauthorized taking of property in connection with the crime.
Boone worked as a fuel delivery driver, and according to charging documents he admitted to stealing more than 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel, selling it for $1 a gallon to a man being investigated by the police auto theft team whom he identified as “Jimmy.”The gas theft scheme was carried out over a year, and was only discovered when members of the Regional Auto Theft task force conducting surveilance of a heavy equipment theft ring in Dundalk observed Boone delivering fuel from a city truck.
Police spotted Boone filling up a series of 250-gallon supply tanks at a tractor-trailer storage lot hidden by a wooden security fence, the documents said. An anonymous informant led the
For six months, authorities had been scouting out the lot — on the 2200 block of Sparrows Point Road — collecting evidence on car thieves working out of Edgemere.
A Public Works spokesman said Boone was responsible for delivering diesel to a landfill for use by bulldozers and filled out invoices at the pick-up and delivery sites. The department had noted that Boone had been using more fuel than usual and inquiries were made to supervisors, spokesman Bob Murrow said Monday afternoon. "As the questions started piling up, this guy [Boone] got caught in the sting."
Boone has been fired from his job and is scheduled to stand trial July 22.
Ben Slivnick is an Investigative Voice special writer.
