Rochester, N.Y. — A woman has pleaded guilty to her role in an 2022 operation that stole and resold used cooking oil from Henrietta restaurants.
Fangfang Yan, 41, of Pittsford and Shanxi, China, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.
The plea is part of a federal case involving six people accused of stealing used cooking oil and selling it to be used as biodiesel fuel. Prosecutors previously alleged Yan worked with Guodeng Chen and Didi Huang, both of Pittsford, as well as three New York City residents, in the scheme.
BACKGROUND: Six people indicted for stolen cooking oil ring in Henrietta
According to court documents, used cooking oil was stolen from collection tanks outside The Distillery, Osaka Sushi and the Asian Food Mart in Henrietta. The oil was then taken to a warehouse, where it was collected and stored before being sold to a broker.
Prosecutors said Chen and Huang arranged for two 45,000-pound shipments of stolen oil to be sent from Western New York to a refinery in Erie, Pennsylvania, in April 2022. The shipments generated nearly $60,000.
Prosecutors said Yan knew Chen and Huang were transporting stolen cooking oil but did not alert authorities. When questioned by investigators on May 6, 2022, she refused to answer questions about their alleged activity, prosecutors said.
Yan is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1, 2026. She faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
