Federal authorities have charged five men with involvement in a conspiracy to steal and resell crude oil from pipelines in New Mexico and West Texas. According to court documents, the investigation began in June 2025 when Special Agents with the Bureau of Land Management received information about the alleged theft scheme.
The suspects, identified as Maxwell Jensen, Thomas Rees, Christopher Ortega, German Ortiz-Santillano, and Christian Jesus Contreras Varela, are accused of stealing crude oil from Plains All American Pipeline facilities in New Mexico. The oil was allegedly stored at a yard in Carlsbad before being transported into West Texas for resale. Surveillance operations, tracking devices, and recorded conversations documented more than 20 theft runs over roughly four weeks. Authorities say hundreds of barrels were siphoned each day during this period.
Court documents allege that Rees managed the Carlsbad yard through his company Hound Dog Energy and sold stolen oil while producing fraudulent load tickets to conceal the thefts. Ortega is accused of directing truck drivers, preparing false documentation, and recruiting others into the conspiracy. Ortiz-Santillano, who worked for Plains All American Pipeline, allegedly provided access to pigging stations where thefts occurred. Contreras Varela is said to have operated a vacuum truck used in the thefts before returning to Rees’s yard. Investigators believe Jensen coordinated the overall scheme.
All five defendants face charges related to interstate transportation of stolen property and aiding and abetting. In addition to these charges, Contreras Varela faces an additional firearms-related offense for being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted on current charges, Jensen, Rees, Ortega and Ortiz-Santillano could receive up to 10 years in prison; Contreras Varela could face up to 15 years.
“U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Josiah Andrews of the Bureau of Land Management made the announcement today.”
Special Agents with the Bureau of Land Management led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson Hehr is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
