Sentencing slated today in truck theft ring case

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October 25, 2012

Sentencing slated today in truck theft ring case

By BRAD KELLAR Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Thu Oct 25, 2012, 04:05 AM CDT

GREENVILLE — An area resident is facing up to life in prison after pleading guilty to being a part of a ring involved in stealing truck trailers and televisions.

Gricel Grijalva, 30, of Royse City, entered an open guilty plea last month to one count of engaging in organized criminal activity/theft over $200,000.

A punishment hearing is scheduled this afternoon in the 354th District Court.

An open plea means no plea bargain agreement had been arranged in the case and that Grijalva is subject to the full range of punishment.

The charge is a first degree felony, punishable by a maximum sentence upon conviction of from five to 99 years to life in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.

Grijalva is the third Royse City resident connected to the alleged scheme to have either pleaded guilty or to have been found guilty so far this year. A fourth suspect is scheduled to enter a plea in November.

Yosvani Bacallao-Dominguez, 37, of Royse City/Irving, entered open pleas last month 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 and was sentenced earlier this month to two years in prison with 10 years of probation.

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

Arnold A. Zamora of Royse City 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.

Manuel H. Arias-Robaina is scheduled to plead guilty in the case during a November 19 hearing.

Geovannie Delpino and Elvis Pedraza, both of Frisco, have trials pending in the case.

On the night of March 5, 2010 deputies from multiple 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.