Rivera arrested for second time in one month
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Baytown — For the second time in less than one month John Rivera has been arrested.
On Monday afternoon Rivera was arrested at his fuel development facility in Baytown, Texas and charged with theft.
Over the past few years Rivera has worked as chairman or CEO of several companies that claim to make biofuel.
His most current venture is in Baytown.
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Donald Gray said Rivera was charged with felony theft of between $1,500 and $20,000.
Gray said the arrest originated from an incident in January in which Rivera allegedly stole five metal mixing tanks from a fellow biofuel developer.
Gray said Rivera allegedly purchased biofuel from developer Helmut Gass and had some dispute over the product, then stole the tanks.
Neither Gass nor Rivera’s attorney, Scott McLemore, could be reached for comment.
Gray said as Rivera was brought to the station his bond was being paid and that he spent very little time in custody.
“He got out fairly quick,” Gray said.
No trial date has been set yet.
In late July, Rivera was arrested in Texas on charges of grand theft above $20,000.
That arrest originated from a warrant issued in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Officials there have not released any information in that arrest.
And last week Rivera was in an Adams County courtroom to face charges that he defrauded investor Mark Trevisiol.
In that case, Trevisiol testified that after providing Rivera with bridge funding to keep is fuel development facility in Port Gibson running, Rivera never shared in the profits.
A settlement in that case is not expected for approximately one month.
Rivera first came to the Miss-Lou in 2006 claiming his revolutionary new process would create biofuel.
He later opened a production facility at the Adams County Port, but never produced any fuel.