Investigations

Humberto Ulloa of Hialeah, FL, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Miami to five felony charges involving the transportation of hazardous fuel and use of counterfeit credit cards. Ulloa purchased $230,000 worth of gasoline between May and August 2003, using 270 counterfeit Postal Service credit cards at 203 different gas stations in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale area. At one point, agents saw him make seven consecutive purchases of gas, totaling over 162 gallons, which he pumped into a 1992 Chevy pick-up modified with a large gas tank. The truck was not labeled to warn other drivers of its tank's large capacity or that it was transporting gasoline, both criminal violations of DOT regulations. Ulloa's sentencing is scheduled in April. This was a joint investigation of the U.S. Postal Service OIG, DOT OIG, U.S. Secret Service, the Florida Department of Environment Protection, the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Hialeah Police Department.