SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, February 12, the San Francisco Police Department disclosed that the San Francisco Police Department’s Burglary Detail assisted in a multi-national investigation involving stolen bicycles from the city and resold in Mexico.
The SFPD reported in a news release that a federal grand jury this week indicted Victoriano Romero, of San Jose, charging him with conspiracy and other charges related to the scheme to steal high-end bicycles from Bay Area residents.
The indictment details at least seven bicycles – valued at thousands of dollars each – that were stolen out of homes in San Francisco and sold to Romero in San Jose. Two other bicycles were stolen from homes in Redwood City.
In April 2021, officers served a search warrant on Romer’s business in San Jose and found one of the stolen bicycles disassembled and ready for transport to Jalisco, Mexico. That bicycle was returned to its owner.
A press release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, noted that according to the indictment, filed January 23, 2024, and unsealed on February 8, Romero, 53, participated in a complex international fencing operation that involved stealing bicycles from homes in San Francisco and Redwood City, during nighttime burglaries, and transporting the stolen bicycles to Jalisco, Mexico, for resale.
Romero allegedly sent the pictures to his co-conspirator who used the pictures for online advertisements to sell the bicycles. The indictment alleges Romero received a share of the profits from the international bicycle fencing scheme.
The indictment contains a description of nine of the bicycles that were stolen between April 2020 and April 2021. The bicycles, ranging in value from $3,000 to $9,000, included notable manufacturers such as a Serotta Titanium bicycle, a Bulls Grinder Evo bicycle, and a Cervelo C3 Carbon bicycle.
The indictment also describes additional details about the participation of Romero’s alleged co-conspirator in the scheme. The indictment alleges the unindicted co-conspirator posted pictures of the stolen bicycles on a Facebook sales page using a virtual private network (or similar method) so that only persons in Mexico could see that the bicycles were for sale. In addition, the indictment describes how the co-conspirator reassembled the bicycles in Mexico before selling them and maintained a ledger listing the profits from the sales of the bicycles.
In sum, Romero is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in foreign commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 2314, and two counts of transportation of stolen goods in foreign commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2314 and 2.
He was released on bond. His next scheduled court appearance is scheduled for April 10, 2024, before P. Casey Pitts, United States District Judge, for status.
