KING COUNTY, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
Three King County residents, along with dozens of alleged accomplices, are being sued for running a coordinated operation to steal, damage, and resell materials from electric vehicle charging stations in the Seattle area.
Electrify America LLC, the company behind the lawsuit, claimed its internal infrastructure details were illegally accessed during the thefts, according to The Seattle Times.
Court documents stated that the company began noticing a spike in stolen charging components, such as cables, in June of last year. During the following month, suspicious activity was reported at multiple station sites across King County.
EV charging theft ring sparks lawsuit
The lawsuit alleged that the defendants used bolt cutters to remove scrap metal, which was then sold to local salvage yards. It also claimed two individuals used a confidential code to enter secure areas and collect sensitive technical data by taking photos and detailed notes.
Electrify America is seeking $500,000 in damages, citing violations of federal racketeering laws, including the RICO Act. The company said two defendants profited from the theft of proprietary information, while a third benefited from the sale of stolen materials.
In one incident, a man reportedly arrived at a Seattle-area charging station in a vehicle registered to another defendant. He allegedly used a confidential code to open a secure key box and left it unsecured so an accomplice could retrieve the keys.
A similar event occurred in February, according to the lawsuit. One defendant allegedly made unauthorized copies of station keys, which an associate then used to access a cabinet, photograph its contents, and gather information about the internal components.
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