The Region - News from Feb. 11, 1986

One of four men accused of stealing 10 million gallons of crude oil by tapping into an underground pipeline pleaded guilty to conspiracy and theft charges in Los Angeles federal court. U.S. District Court Judge A. Wallace Tashima allowed Konrad Eli Praeger, 35, of Morongo Valley, to remain free on bail and ordered him to return for sentencing April 14. He faces a possible maximum term of 15 years in prison. The oil was illegally diverted over a four-year period ending in January of 1985, when FBI agents and oil company investigators found the illegal tap in Morongo Valley.