Fire investigator accused of selling stolen golf clubs
Report: Undercover ‘sting’ operation led detectives to eBay account
Police nabbed a veteran with the Albuquerque fire department who is accused of selling stolen golf clubs to undercover detectives multiple times during a sting operation last week.
Jose Gonzalez, 40, a fire marshal investigator with the department for 15 years, faces one charge of receiving stolen property.
Police say Gonzalez sold detectives new golf clubs worth thousands of dollars, days after they were stolen from a Rio Rancho sporting goods store.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesperson Tom Ruiz said Gonzalez has been put on administrative leave but would not comment on the case or say whether Gonzalez had ever been in trouble before.
“That is part of the investigation,” he said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, an employee of Dick’s Sporting Goods called police on Jan. 7 to report a “possible fencing ring” selling stolen property — specifically golf clubs — over the past several months.
Police say the employees directed them to an eBay account selling two golf clubs stolen by “an unknown male” the day before.
According to the complaint, detectives linked the account to Gonzalez’s wife and bid on the clubs before setting up a meeting in Albuquerque.
Police say Gonzalez met an undercover detective in a hardware store parking lot, where he sold them a stolen club and agreed to meet them for another purchase the next day.
According to the complaint, the next day Gonzalez met them again and sold them another stolen club.
“It should be noted that when I purchased the two drivers from Gonzalez they were still wrapped in plastic from the factory and had the Dick’s price tags on,” a detective wrote.