AC Theft Becomes Federal Case

Depending on market values of certain building supplies, such as copper pipe, many construction sites turn out to be the target of thieves looking to make a quick buck by pilfering items and then selling them for scrap value.

In fact, a couple of years ago, copper reportedly became such a prized commodity that thieves were trying to abscond with it wherever it could be found: From a power station in the Midwest to a Utah construction site where the criminals were able to carry away something in the neighborhood of six miles of copper wire.

Now, a recent theft of scrap metal – in the form of an air conditioning unit – has resulted in the crime being investigated as a federal offense. This for a hunk of metal that brought in an estimated $50 in scrap fees.

According to KSN.com, the theft occurred in Wichita, where a suspect had allegedly been stealing air conditioning units for the last several years. He was arrested by the authorities in 2012.

The local constabulary says that when the copper tubing of an air conditioner unit is severed (making it possible to haul away), chemicals such as Freon and hydrofluorocarbon can be released into the atmosphere. As a result, the Earth’s ozone can be depleted.

The suspect in the Wichita thefts was subsequently charged in a federal indictment with venting a class 2 substance – a crime that, given the three counts in the charge, could result in a fine of as much as $750,000 and a prison sentence of as many as 15 years.

A Wichita police department captain explains that the department does sometimes charge people suspected of air conditioning theft with more traditional crimes. In this case, however, the captain says that he woke up in the middle of the night, “had me an epiphany, and I was like, could this be an environmental crime?”

As always, crime never pays. For all of your air conditioning needs, contact AC World today!