Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
A federal grand jury has indicted Jose Vicente Badillo on a charge of conspiracy to commit arson related to an alleged scheme targeting tow trucks in the San Francisco Bay Area. The indictment, unsealed today, accuses Badillo of conspiring with others to set fire to at least six tow trucks across four incidents between April and October 2023.
The document details that Badillo and his associates allegedly damaged or destroyed two tow trucks in San Francisco on April 4, one truck on April 29, another in East Palo Alto on July 25, and two more in San Francisco on October 3. The alleged purpose was to benefit Auto Towing and Specialty Towing—companies linked to Badillo—by hindering competitors' business prospects and retaliating against them for perceived grievances.
Badillo appeared in federal district court this morning and is scheduled for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim on March 20, 2025. He also faces unrelated charges in two other pending cases.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins announced the indictment alongside FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Linda Nguyen from the Oakland Field Office.
"An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed," they noted, emphasizing that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Badillo could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks through a multi-agency approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Parker is leading the prosecution with support from Andy Ding and Laurie Worthen. The investigation involved collaboration between the FBI SF Transnational Organized Crime Task Force and IRS-CI, with significant assistance from the San Francisco Police Department.
