While the rest of us are sweating to pay our electric bills, a Phoenix man is accused of stealing his for nearly three years.
Court records show that from August 2013 until May 2016, 47-year-old Gregorio Villanueva used jumper cables to steal $10,000 worth of electricity from Arizona Public Service.
Police report that Villanueva hired an unknown worker to do some landscaping work at his home, near 19th Avenue and Thunderbird Road.
In August of 2013, Villanueva reportedly paid the worker $100 for the landscaping and also asked him to hook up a jumper cable from the APS main power line directly to his electrical panel, bypassing the meter.
An APS investigator was checking on homes that have had their electricity turned off and found lights on at the home. The investigator checked the panel and discovered what Villanueva had done.
The APS investigator estimated the amount of electricity stolen was valued at about $10,000.
Villanueva has been charged with theft, criminal damage, and fraudulently obtaining an utility service.
