Grease theft proliferates as grease prices rise 250 percent; cases across the country, signs of organized crime

May 6, 2008

Grease thieves continue to appear in the news, interrupting the biodiesel supply chain in the US, prompting a feature story in the Christian Science Monitor on cases in Kentucky, Taxes, Florida, Missouri, California and Arkansas. Theft ranges from petty operations by home brewers to truck-based efforts yielding up to $6,000 in stolen grease in Texas, to gang-related grease theft in Arkansas.

Texas attorney Jon Jaworski, a self styled “grease lawyer” has defended more than 150 clients, and lost only one court case, said that “Juries are amazed by the time and effort put in to try to convict people for stealing stuff that is rancid”, although grease now sells for $0.32 per pound, up from $0.12 per pound in 2006.

In Nevada earlier this year, a 49-year old man was arrested for stealing grease from a Burger King grease trap, intending to convert the grease into biodiesel. Burger King has a collection contract with San Jose Tallow, who contacted police when they saw the man transferring grease from the restaurants trap to a 5,000 gallon tank car. The theft is the latest in a spate of crime among “grease thieves”, attributed to the rising cost of biodiesel fuel and the corresponding rise in the value of grease as a feedstock.

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Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Producer News