Ray Richard Bernaldez Sotomayor was found guilty as charged of First Degree Grand Theft with a finding of $100,000 or more. The jury returned the verdict following a two-day trial in Lee County.
Assistant State Attorney Michael Curley, of the Economic Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case.
The defendant had been employed by a materials company, utilized in building and construction, as the operator of a scale to weigh rocks after trucks are filled. The defendant was allowing dump trucks full of rocks to leave the business without printing a load ticket and requiring payment, instead he was getting financial kickbacks along the way.
The crime was discovered by the company when management noticed truck drivers waiting to go through the defendant’s line even when other lines, that had scales, were open. They then began watching hours of surveillance video that spanned over a year and contacted law enforcement.
The defendant was arrested at his job by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in April 2025, following their investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 31, 2026.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director