Three Missouri men were recently sentenced in federal court for their part in a multi-million catalytic converters theft ring.
Evan Marshall, 25, and Camren Joseph Davis, 25, both of Rogersville, Mo., along with Cody Ryder, 31, of Springfield, Mo., were sentenced Dec. 19, according to a news release. The three were "ringleaders of a scheme that impacted thousands of area residents," transporting tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines.
"Our community is painfully aware that catalytic converter thefts are not victimless crimes," HSI-Kansas City Acting Special Agent In Charge Josh Armstrong said in the release. "While many may consider catalytic converter thefts to be victimless, all too often criminals involved in these types of thefts sometimes funnel the profits gained to organized criminal networks to fund additional, more dangerous crimes."
Marshall was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison, the release reported. He must also pay $750,000 to the government and $19,133 in restitution to the victims identified by the investigation. Ryder was sentenced to two years and five months in prison and Davis to five years of probation.
"These three defendants were the ringleaders of a scheme that impacted thousands of area residents," U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in the release. "We worked closely with a number of our law enforcement partners to shut down their multimillion-dollar operation and bring the perpetrators to justice."
The trio's co-defendants Enx Khoshaba, 30; Leslie Ice, 38; and Eric Kaltenbach, 38, all of Springfield, and Danielle Ice, 34, of Columbia, Mo., all previously pleaded guilty for their parts in the conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines. The four await sentencing, the release reported.
