Leaders and associates of a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring were arrested and/or charged during a nationwide, coordinated takedown Nov. 2.
Law enforcement from federal, state and local offices executed the takedown of the “national network of thieves, dealers and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars,” a Nov. 2 U.S. Department of Justice news release said.
“Amidst a rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country, the Justice Department has today carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nationwide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the release. “We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”
A catalytic converter is part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that converts toxic gas and pollutants into safe emissions, the release said. Thieves steal catalytic converters for the high-value metals they contain, “especially the precious metals palladium, platinum and rhodium.”
In the recent disruption of the theft network, arrests, searches and seizures occurred in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia, accordign to the release.
A total of 21 people in five states were arrested and/or charged for their participation in the conspiracy, the release said. They were indicted Nov. 2 under charges in two separate indictments unsealed in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma. Law enforcement also executed more than 32 search warrants, seizing millions of dollars in assets such as homes, cash, bank accounts and expensive cars.
“With California’s higher emission standards, our community has become a hot bed for catalytic converter theft,” Phillip Talbert, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said in the release. “Last year approximately 1,600 catalytic converters were reportedly stolen in California each month, and California accounts for 37% of all catalytic converter theft claims nationwide. I am proud to announce that we have indicted nine people who are at the core of catalytic theft in our community and nationwide.”
