San Jose man charged with conspiracy to steal high-end bikes for resale in Mexico

SAN JOSE >> A San Jose man is accused of participating in an international fencing operation that stole high-end performance bicycles from Bay Area homes and sent them to Mexico for resale, authorities said.

Victoriano Romero, 53, is charged with two counts of transportation of stolen goods in foreign commerce and one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in foreign commerce, according to a federal grand jury indictment that was filed last month and unsealed Feb. 8.

If convicted of the charges, Romero faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of transportation of stolen goods and up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count.

The 12-page indictment alleges that Romero purchased a total of nine stolen bicycles, disassembled them at an automotive shop he owns in San Jose, packaged them for delivery and then had them transported to an unindicted co-conspirator in Jalisco, Mexico.

The co-conspirator allegedly reassembled the bicycles and listed them for sale on Facebook, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that Romero sent photographs of the bicycles to the co-conspirator, who used them in the advertisements and sent a share of the sale proceeds to him.

The bicycles allegedly were taken from homes in San Francisco and Redwood City from April 2020 to April 2021, according to the indictment. They ranged in value from $3,000 to $9,000 and included a Bulls Grinder Evo, Cervelo C3 Carbon and Serotta Titanium.

Romero made his initial federal court appearance to face the charges Feb. 8.

He was released on bond, and his next court appearance was scheduled for April 10.