Truck Driver Pleads Guilty In New England Cooking Oil Scheme

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A truck driver has pleaded guilty in a scheme to steal $430,000 worth of used cooking oil from hundreds of restaurants in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to sell in New Hampshire.

Anthony Simone Sr. pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.

Two brothers, business owners Andrew and Bruce Jeremiah, of Cranston, have pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Prosecutors say Simone worked for the brothers. They say he would drive a truck to the restaurants between midnight and 6 a.m. and pump used cooking oil into a tank inside the truck. Later, they would sell it to a New Hampshire business that uses it for animal feed and biofuel.

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