Oscar Maldonado

Introduction

Oscar Maldonado, 51, a civilian employee of the City of El Paso Fire Department and a resident of Anthony, New Mexico, was arrested on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, on charges of abuse of official capacity and theft over $100 but less than $750 after investigators said he used his employee access to siphon gasoline from city fuel pumps into his family’s personal vehicles. The arrest grew out of a public-corruption investigation by the Texas Rangers that began with a tip to the office of El Paso County Constable Louie Aguilar of East Side Precinct 4, according to a constable’s office news release. Per the arrest affidavit, Maldonado allegedly confessed to taking fuel roughly seven to eight times since February of 2026, and investigators estimated that at least 40 gallons of fuel, valued at about $160, may have been taken. The charges against him are accusations, not convictions, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Background Information

Public reporting has identified Maldonado narrowly: he was a 51-year-old employee with the City of El Paso Fire Department, described by the El Paso Times as a civilian employee, who lived in Anthony, New Mexico. El Paso Fire Chief Jonathan Duran told investigators that Maldonado could access the city fuel pumps through an employee key fob and a personal identification number, according to the affidavit. He was also assigned take-home vehicles that were fully marked, carrying City of El Paso inscriptions identifying them as El Paso Fire Department vehicles — the vehicles that figured in the conduct described in the affidavit.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. Maldonado has been charged with abuse of official capacity and theft over $100 but less than $750; a charge is not a conviction, the case has not been adjudicated, and he is presumed innocent. The account below comes from an arrest affidavit and statements by investigators and the constable’s office, and the alleged confession described here is attributed to the affidavit, not established as fact.

The case began, according to the constable’s office, with a tip from a concerned citizen — one of Maldonado’s neighbors in Anthony, New Mexico — who reported regularly seeing him carry five-gallon fuel cans out of a marked EPFD vehicle and then pour the gasoline into the tanks of his personal vehicles. Because the case possibly involved public corruption, constables contacted the Texas Rangers of the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance. Deputies were told the activity had become a routine, and surveillance of Maldonado was established; video obtained from various city fuel pump locations allegedly showed him, on multiple occasions, using his city-employee fuel pump access intended for city vehicles.

Per the affidavit, the videos depicted Maldonado placing five-gallon fuel containers into the marked take-home vehicles he used, and upon returning to his home in Anthony, New Mexico, he, his spouse, or their daughter would then dispense the fuel into their personal vehicles. He allegedly said he would use his city-issued key fob and PIN to access the city fuel pump, first filling the gas can and then filling his work vehicle in the same transaction — and the affidavit stated he admitted to stealing the fuel approximately 7-8 times since February of 2026. Fuel records reviewed by investigators showed what they described as unusually high consumption, including 114 gallons used over 1,049 miles between July 10 and July 23 — about 9.2 miles per gallon — and surveillance footage documented Maldonado and the EPFD vehicle at fuel stations on two dates matching both the fuel records and the reported activity at his residence. Investigators estimated at least 40 gallons, valued at about $160, may have been taken, the document stated.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The arrest drew local coverage from both the El Paso Times and KFOX14/CBS4, which published the affidavit’s details — the seven to eight thefts, the roughly 40 gallons, the estimated $160 loss — attributing the figures to officials. The El Paso Times framed the case explicitly as a public-corruption matter, noting it was investigated by the Texas Rangers with the assistance of the El Paso Fire Department administration and the city’s Information Technology Department. The city itself addressed the arrest in a statement: “The EPFD is cooperating fully with the investigating agencies. As this remains an active criminal proceeding, the Department will not comment further.”

No statement from Maldonado or an attorney for him appears in the available reporting, and the El Paso Times noted that no attorney is listed for him on court records. The timing carried a sharper edge: the El Paso Times reported the alleged fuel theft occurred amid high gas prices nationwide, with AAA reporting a national average of $4.12 per gallon as of Wednesday, September 2.

Current Status

Maldonado was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility following his Tuesday arrest and, according to El Paso County jail records, was released that same day after posting a total bond of $4,000. The city said in its statement that Maldonado has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. The charges of abuse of official capacity and theft over $100 but less than $750 remain pending, and nothing in the available reporting indicates that the case has been resolved. No attorney is listed for Maldonado on court records, and he remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until proven guilty.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Whatever the case’s outcome, the arrest immediately upended Maldonado’s standing at the Fire Department: the city confirmed he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, removing him from his role while the criminal proceeding runs its course. The affidavit’s account — an allegedly confessed pattern of filling five-gallon cans at city pumps since February 2026, shared fuel dispensed at his home into his family’s personal vehicles, and an estimated loss to the city of about $160 — now defines the public record of his career with the department. Until the pending charges are adjudicated, the consequences Maldonado faces — to his employment and beyond — remain allegations meeting due process, not findings of guilt.