KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — A man is facing felony charges and an active arrest warrant after investigators say he used clone cards created from skimmed fuel pump data to steal more than 8,000 gallons of diesel worth over $35,000 across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against Adrian Pena-Acevedo on May 12, 2026. He faces two Class D felony counts of stealing and receiving stolen property, each punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. A court-issued arrest warrant has been set at $100,000 bond. Authorities are asking the public for help locating him.
How It Started
The investigation began when Love’s Loss Prevention reported a 2016 Freightliner CB box truck actively stealing fuel at a Love’s Travel Stop on North Ameristar Drive in Kansas City. The truck fled before Kansas City Police officers arrived, but officers spotted the vehicle on Highway 210 traveling without a license plate. During the traffic stop, the driver was identified as Pena-Acevedo.
How the Scheme Worked
Investigators determined Pena-Acevedo allegedly used clone cards — created by placing skimming devices on fuel pumps to steal legitimate card data, then encoding that stolen data onto blank cards — to fraudulently obtain diesel fuel. Love’s Loss Prevention told investigators the operation was part of a massive multi-state spree spanning Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, totaling 8,079.36 gallons of fuel valued at $35,327.60. Within Clay County alone, the loss was 924.759 gallons valued at $4,025.40.
How to Protect Yourself
Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson offered advice to drivers and carriers on protecting themselves from pump skimmers. “Fuel prices are high enough without criminal activity raising the cost for all of us,” Thompson said. He advised giving the card reader a tug to check if it is loose, looking for broken security seals, and shielding the keypad when entering a PIN. Whenever possible, Thompson recommended using tap-to-pay, mobile wallets, or paying the attendant inside to bypass external pump skimmers entirely.
Anyone with information about Pena-Acevedo’s whereabouts is asked to contact local law enforcement.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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