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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A trial began and ended Wednesday with a guilty plea for a Dallas man accused in a string of East Texas diesel thefts.

Duniesky Gonzalez, 37, was arrested on Jan 27, 2023, on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity after a state investigation tied him to a widespread string of fuel thefts in 2022. Gonzalez is accused of participating in a scheme to alter fuel pumps to greatly reduce the price of fuel being pumped, resulting in the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of fuel being stolen across the area. After Gonzalez entered a guilty plea without admitting guilt, Judge Taylor B. Heaton decided to go to a trial instead. Around 4 p.m., Heaton allowed a guilty plea and set a sentencing date.

Wednesday morning’s proceedings began with Gonzalez preparing to enter an open guilty plea. However, Heaton ended the proceedings when he became concerned for the defendant’s understanding of his plea.

“I’m not guilty, but I just want to get it over with,” said Gonzalez through his interpreter.

The bench trial then began with a brief opening statement from Assistant Smith County District Attorney Richard Vance. Vance outlined several incidents dating back to 2022 where Gonzalez and his co-defendants allegedly stole diesel fuel from gas stations. Several incidents occurred in the DFW area, with several taking place in East Texas.

The first witnesses for the state were members of the Garland Police Department. They described the first alleged incident Gonzalez was involved in.

Photos were shown of a pulsar device, which prosecutors say is used to deceive a fuel pump into thinking it is dispensing less fuel than it actually is. Photos of Gonzalez’s truck were also shown. The bed contained a large fuel storage device, along with a pump measure.

Officers testified that the gas station reported a large amount of fuel unaccounted for.

Several officers from the Plano Police Department testified on another alleged incident. They made contact with one of Gonzalez’s co-defendants, who was at a gas station. After a search, they identified the individual possessing Gonzalez’s debit card. They called Gonzalez and asked if the individual was allowed to use it. He said they could use it to purchase gas, without the officer identifying they were at a gas station.

Gonzalez entered an open plea on a second try around 4 p.m. He said he was “nervous” when he made his statements this morning and took back comments that he was unhappy with his lawyer.

Sentencing is set for June 18. He faces between five and 99 years in prison. The state originally offered 30 years in their plea deal, but during the plea hearing Vance said they would be arguing for more.

After lunch the state called John Dickey, a Kaufman County Investigator.

His role in the case began when a local gas station noticed 1,000 gallons of diesel was missing overnight. The custodian of records for that station testified that they cross referenced a credit card with several suspicious purchases from different stations in the area.

Dickey and other investors used this data to identify vehicles of interest using surveillance video. Dickey obtained a warrant to track one of the vehicles, which was used to track Gonzalez to several other locations.

Gonzalez’s codefendants, Ramon Perrez-Torres, 30, of Mesquite, and Camila Cruz Concepcion, 26, of Dallas, have been arrested for the same charge and are being held in the Smith County Jail. Both were set for jury trial in Heaton’s court Tuesday, which the Smith County Judicial Records site shows has been reset to July 23.

The trial has begun for a Dallas man in Tyler Wednesday in connection with a string of East Texas diesel thefts in 2022.

+ State investigation uncovers East Texas diesel pump tampering ring