Riverview Business Owners Sentenced to Federal Prison for Battery Thefts

Two Riverview residents involved in a scheme to steal truckloads of used car batteries will be spending time in federal prison.

On Aug. 16, U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. sentenced Riverview
residents Christian Lee Hancock, 36, and Tina Inez Schneider, 37, to
federal prison terms for federal crimes relating to their battery recycling
business and scrap yard. 

Hancock, a resident of 11612 Rhodine Rd., Riverview, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and structuring financial transactions to evade federal currency transaction reporting requirements; conspiring to commit money laundering; and substantive wire fraud, money laundering, and structuring charges. 

Schneider, also of 11612 Rhodine Rd., was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for structuring financial transactions.

The court also ordered Hancock to forfeit approximately $1.1 million, the proceeds traceable to the offense.

Hancock and Schneider owned and operated Gator Core Inc., a secondary
metal recycling company in Riverview.

According to court records, over a three-year period between 2006 and 2009, Hancock and Schneider conspired with others to steal hundreds
of tractor-trailer loads of used automotive batteries that were destined for
Envirofocus Technologies, a lead smelter in the Tampa area, and Johnson
Controls Inc. 

Co-conspirators, some of whom previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, falsified documents and records to conceal the thefts of more than eight million pounds of batteries from Envirofocus.

Hancock and Schneider then re-sold the batteries through Gator Core for a
substantial profit. The conspiracy resulted in a loss to Envirofocus and Johnson Controls of more than $3.3 million.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office District IV office. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Josephine W. Thomas and Matthew P. Jackson prosecuted the case.