Albuquerque man accused of stealing $24,000 in copper wire from Intel

A $24,000 copper-wire theft at Intel’s FAB 9 put one of Rio Rancho’s biggest industrial projects at risk, with investigators saying an Albuquerque man used authorized badge access to pull wire from a rooftop stash and sell it for cash. Raul Rodriguez, 25, was summoned June 17 on a charge of larceny over $20,000 after police said the missing wire was discovered when a crew arrived to install power supply equipment at the site.

According to the complaint, Intel security alerted police after workers found multiple spools of copper wire missing from the roof. The wire had reportedly been stored there for about a year because of project delays, making the rooftop area a convenient, but vulnerable, staging point for material that was not yet installed. Investigators then reviewed video and said they saw multiple incidents between Feb. 17 and March 19 in which Rodriguez entered restricted areas with authorized badge access and removed wire from the spools.

The complaint says Rodriguez was seen manipulating and removing copper on seven different dates, moving the material toward the roof edge or into lower areas before later discarding packaging in dumpsters. Investigators also alleged that he made multiple sales at Acme Iron and Metal during the same period, using his driver’s license and identifying information. The total copper sold was more than 2,000 pounds and brought in about $10,485, while the stolen material was valued at nearly $24,000.

The case matters well beyond one scrap-yard transaction. Fab 9 opened in Rio Rancho on Jan. 24, 2024, as part of Intel’s previously announced $3.5 billion New Mexico investment, and Intel has described Fab 9 and Fab 11X as its first co-located high-volume advanced packaging site. Any loss of material there can mean more than the direct dollar hit: it can slow installation work, force extra security checks, and create added costs for contractors waiting to finish power and equipment work.

New Mexico law treats larceny of property valued at more than $20,000 as a second-degree felony, a charge that carries a potential prison term of up to 15 years. The allegation also fits a wider pattern in New Mexico, where PNM said it received 110 copper-theft reports from businesses in 2024 and warned that such thefts can cost customers tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and downtime. PNM has said thieves often target transformers and other electrical equipment, a reminder that copper remains an easy target at industrial and utility sites across Sandoval County and the Albuquerque metro.

Acme Iron & Metal, the recycler named in the complaint, says it operates multiple recycling locations in the Albuquerque area, including its main yard at 6142 Second NW.