Sentence issued in truck theft ring

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October 10, 2012

Sentence issued in truck theft ring

By BRAD KELLAR Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Wed Oct 10, 2012, 11:05 PM CDT

A Royse City man, who pleaded guilty to an organized crime indictment involving a truck theft ring operating out of the Dallas area, has been sentenced to prison and placed on probation.

Yosvani Bacallao-Dominguez, 37, who has also listed an address in Irving, was formally sentenced during a hearing in the 354th District Court Monday to two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division and was placed on 10 years of probation.

Bacallao-Dominguez entered open pleas Aug. 22 to one count each of engaging in organized criminal activity, theft of property of the value of more than $200,000 and theft of property of the value of between $20,000 and $100,000.

An open plea means no plea bargain agreement had been arranged in the case and that Bacallao-Dominguez was subject to the full range of punishment.

He was facing a maximum sentence of up to life in prison on the engaging in organized criminal activity and the more serious felony theft charges, which are both first degree felonies, and 10 years in prison on the felony theft count, which is a third degree felony.

The probations were assessed on the first degree felonies and the prison sentence was handed down on the lesser felony theft charge.

Gricel Grijalva, 30, of Royse City, entered an open guilty plea during a Sept. 13 hearing to one count of engaging in organized criminal activity/theft over $200,000 and a sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 23.

Arnold A. Zamora was found guilty by a jury in May of three counts, including engaging in organized crime. The same panel sentenced Zamora to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors claim Bacallao-Dominguez and Zamora were involved an elaborate scheme to steal trailers out of Dallas.

Two other defendants — Manuel H. Arias-Robaina and Elvis Pedraza — have trials pending.

On the night of March 5, 2010 deputies from the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office joined officers from other area law enforcement agencies in checking a trailer outside a residence on County Road 2472.

The trailer did turn out to be reported stolen, along with a Toshiba television and other items.

A Penske truck was reported having left the residence earlier in the day and was stopped in Dallas County, where authorities discovered it contained more than 170 stolen Toshiba televisions.

A search warrant served on the residence on County Road 2472 revealed the recreational vehicle, in which Bacallao-Dominguez and his family had been living, had been reported stolen by the Mesquite Police Department.

A Kubota tractor and two semi trailers found on the property were also reported as stolen.

An engaging in organized criminal activity indictment filed against Gisel Cruz of Royse City was dismissed.