‘I saw you’: Houston couple charged after being caught on camera allegedly stealing an about $300K in copper wire — here’s who ends up holding the bag

Justin Franklin and Christina Pivirotto have been charged with theft in connection with the June 2 incident. Franklin was arrested and later released on bond, but Pivirotto is still wanted by authorities.

A cellphone video taken by an employee shows Franklin stuffing bags of copper wire into a red Toyota RAV4 as the worker confronts him.

“That doesn’t look like your stuff. Those are wires,” the employee says in the footage.

How did they pull it off?

This wasn’t your average petty theft or smash-and-grab. It was an elaborate operation that reportedly took hours — a risky move considering how long they stayed on site.

Constable Alan Rosen with Harris County Precinct 1 told Click 2 Houston he believes the suspects got away with it by posing as contractors or blending in, making them less suspicious to passersby. But their disguise didn’t stop them from getting caught on camera.

Copper theft is no small problem. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates it costs American businesses about $1 billion each year. Copper wiring is a hot commodity for thieves, with roughly 8% of new construction wiring disappearing to theft annually. That adds up to about 15.7 million pounds of copper — enough to supply electrical wiring for more than 112,000 homes.

When copper goes missing, businesses pay the price

Not every thief has the patience to strip copper for hours, but when it happens, the damage to businesses can be severe. Rosen says copper theft doesn’t hurt profits — it can shut down essential utilities.

“It’s horrible. I’ve had several friends who are developers and who own centers where somebody has stolen the copper wire, and it completely shuts down business,” he told Click 2 Houston. “And then you’ve got to get permitting and you’ve got to get a bunch of things to rewire … it is a huge undertaking."

To stay ahead of the problem, some companies are switching to alternatives like copper-clad steel (CCS) and copper-clad aluminum (CCA) — materials that are less attractive to thieves and harder to resell.

But it’s not just the copper that hurts. The aftermath often brings even bigger costs: torn-up walls, damaged electrical systems, broken equipment, project delays and frustrated clients.

If you spot someone helping themselves to copper wiring in your neighborhood, Rosen urges you to call local authorities immediately. He says catching thieves in the act is a job best left to professionals, not your camera roll.