APS Fires 6 Employees Over TVs
By Hailey Heinz
Journal Staff Writer
Six Albuquerque Public Schools employees — four teachers and two custodians — learned Tuesday they have been fired from the district after they were charged with selling stolen big-screen TVs at a profit.
The employees were among more than a dozen people charged New Year's Eve in connection with a theft ring that began with two employees of ABF Freight System Inc. Those employees allegedly stole a truck carrying 70 TVs, each worth $999, and began selling them online.
They are: Steven Smith, 53, special education teacher at Albuquerque High; Lawrence Garcia, 46, special education teacher at Del Norte High; Ernest Frietze, 32, health teacher at Albuquerque High; his wife, Bernadette Frietze, 32, a teacher at Del Norte; and Adam Cardenas, 33, and Chris Montoya, 25, both custodians at Albuquerque High.
Charges against them include racketeering, conspiracy, and receiving and transferring stolen property. Police said the suspects bought the TVs cheaply, then sold them at a profit.
Montoya is charged with coordinating the APS sales.
Ernest Frietze is charged with buying eight TVs, then working with his wife to sell three more to Garcia. Garcia sold those and requested 10 more, according to the complaint. Cardenas allegedly bought seven TVs, and Smith is accused of accepting two.
Detectives began working the case in early December, after the stolen truck was found in rural Valencia County. Detectives found the TVs on Craigslist and arranged to buy one. Police arrested two sellers, who led them to the supplier.
Read more: ABQJOURNAL NEWS/METRO: APS Fires 6 Employees Over TVs
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