14 Indicted in Massive Permian Basin Oil Theft Conspiracy

LUBBOCK, TX - Fourteen defendants from Texas and New Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas for their roles in a large-scale oil theft conspiracy in the Permian Basin, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

The indictment charges each of the defendants with conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce, and several defendants are also charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, and receipt, possession, or sale of stolen property.

According to the indictment returned on April 8, 2026, all 14 defendants allegedly conspired to transport stolen crude oil across the New Mexico-Texas border for the purpose of enriching themselves. The indictment alleges that several defendants stole crude oil from oil producers in the Eastern New Mexico region of the Permian Basin, some of which was then stored on land that one of the conspirators leased from the United States government.  

That conspirator then sold the stolen crude oil to others in the conspiracy at prices significantly below West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) pricing.  WTI is the benchmark used to price crude oil in the Permian Basin and much of the United States. The charges further state that the conspirators, knowing the crude oil was stolen, then transported the oil across the New Mexico-Texas border for further sale at a profit.

Texas defendants:
•    Randell Wayne Reid, 41, of Electra, Texas, owner of Reidco Enterprises, a Texas-based company;
•    James Darrell Reid, 65, of Electra, owner of Reidco Enterprises; and 
•    Christopher Frederick Harris, 22, of Seminole, Texas.

Lovington, New Mexico defendants:
•    Louis George Edgett, 68;
•    Brenden Floyd Strickland, 25; 
•    Sixto Herrera-Estebane, 43;
•    Gyardo Gonzalez, 47;
•    Jesus Martin Hernandez-Borja, 51;
•    Diana Marquez Rojo, 45;
•    Jose Luis Rojo, 49;
•    Jose Mario Rivas-Mendoza, 37;
•    Miguel A. Soto, 41;
•    Tavares Montrail Cole, 48; and
•    Danny Dale Brown Jr., 42.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to ten years in federal prison on each count of interstate transportation of stolen property, and receipt, possession, or sale of stolen property.

The Permian Basin is a vast sedimentary shale basin spanning over 86,000 square miles in Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. It is the largest oil-producing region in the United States and accounts for the majority of all U.S. crude oil production.

The Bureau of Land Management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety-Criminal Investigation Division, Lea County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office, and the Eddy County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Howey is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.