Jonathan Matthew Curl, 36, of Sacramento, was sentenced on Apr. 23 to two years in prison and ordered to pay $282,193 in restitution for conspiracy to transport stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said.
The case highlights efforts by federal authorities to address thefts affecting communications infrastructure across Northern California. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California enforces federal laws through prosecutions of criminal violations and management of civil lawsuits on behalf of the government, according to the official website.
Court documents show that Curl worked with Trevor Fountain, Stephan James Evanovich, and Andrea Carter to break into communications towers and steal rectifiers—devices necessary for tower power supply—and other equipment. Curl used access information from his employers and shared it with co-conspirators so they could steal rectifiers undetected. The group stole more than 700 rectifiers from telecommunications towers throughout Northern California; over 485 were sold or shipped across state lines.
Curl pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, while Carter was sentenced last June to 29 months in prison after her own guilty plea. Fountain also pleaded guilty and is set for sentencing next month; Evanovich’s sentencing is scheduled for June as well. Evanovich faces up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine; Fountain faces up to five years in prison plus a $250,000 fine.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation with help from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s office covers more than 87,000 square miles across 34 counties—from the Oregon border southward to Bakersfield—and maintains offices in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield according to its official website (source). The office represents the federal government in all litigation within its district including prosecution of federal crimes.
