DES MOINES, Iowa — 13 Chinese nationals were served a nine-count indictment by a federal grand jury on Tuesday for allegedly stealing and attempting to resell restaurant cooking oil, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
The 13, which include four individuals who were living in Des Moines, now face various charges related to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit the offense of interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering.
The federal indictment alleges the 13 stole and attempted to steal cooking oil from oil collection tanks located at restaurants “throughout Iowa, and in Tennessee, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kentucky.”…