In a striking revelation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has unveiled charges against Victoriano Romero, a 53-year-old operator of a San Jose auto shop, for his alleged involvement in a transnational organized crime ring specializing in the theft and resale of high-end performance bicycles.
The indictment, filed on January 23, 2024, and unsealed Friday, outlines a complex scheme where stolen bicycles from San Francisco and Redwood City were transported to Jalisco, Mexico, for resale.
Romero faces charges of conspiracy and related offenses, accusing him of orchestrating an international fencing operation that targeted residents in the Bay Area. The indictment suggests Romero’s auto shop served as a hub for receiving stolen bicycles, documenting them through photographs, disassembling the bikes, packaging them for shipment, and ultimately dispatching them to a co-conspirator in Mexico. The stolen bicycles were then advertised online for sale, with Romero allegedly receiving a share of the profits generated from this illicit operation, prosecutors said.