BANGOR (AP) – Authorities are investigating the theft of thousands of gallons of home heating fuel that was sold at cut-rate prices.

Two men who prosecutors say are linked to the theft and sales were being held at the Penobscot County Jail on probation violations, while customers who knowingly purchased stolen fuel could also face charges.

Benjamin Tibbetts III, 29, of Brewer and Michael Gonsalves, 41, of Kenduskeag allegedly sold stolen fuel at $1 per gallon, well below the average $1.85 per gallon that was paid during the five months the thefts occurred, Deputy District Attorney Mike Roberts said Monday.

Tibbetts, who had been working at Malenfant’s Fuel and Bottled Gas Co. in Milford until being fired earlier this year, was the principal in the thefts of an estimated $17,000 in fuel, Roberts said, while Gonsalves lined up prospective customers.

Following his dismissal, Tibbetts allegedly stole a Malenfant’s fuel truck loaded with fuel oil on Feb. 22 and quickly sold it, the prosecutor said. The empty fuel truck was found the following morning.

“It wasn’t even a question of overnight – it was a question of several hours,” Roberts said.

Tibbetts was on probation on a burglary conviction and Gonsalves on a conviction for drug possession.

Authorities estimate that as many as 25 people purchased fuel from Tibbetts, some of them more than once.

The investigation is focusing on who bought fuel, how much they bought and how often they bought it, the prosecutor said.

“We believe there was a pretty wide range as to how much fuel these people received,” Roberts said.

While some buyers may not have realized that the fuel was stolen, Roberts said buying fuel at nearly half the going price should have set up red flags.

“If someone is offering you fuel at $1 a gallon in Maine, you probably should be asking them some questions,” he said.