Three Rhode Island men have been charged in federal court for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to steal and sell catalytic converters. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom announced the charges against Kuron Mitchell from Newport, Alberto Rivera from Cranston, and Luis Aceituno from Providence. Each faces charges of interstate transportation of stolen property in excess of $5,000 and conspiracy to commit the same. Additionally, Aceituno is charged with filing false tax returns.
The Cranston Police Department commenced tracking patterns of catalytic converter thefts in January 2022. It is alleged that a criminal group was responsible for over 7,000 stolen catalytic converters in Southern New England and the greater Boston area, resulting in losses exceeding $2.4 million. Numerous stolen converters were reportedly sold to a Providence company identified in court documents as Company 1, which recycles catalytic converters. The scrap price of these converters varied between $300 and $1,500, based on the model and type of precious metal component.
Court documents state that from January 2021 until November 2022, Rivera, Aceituno, Mitchell, and others targeted neighborhoods and parking lots to steal catalytic converters from unoccupied vehicles. They allegedly sold many of them to Company 1.
An FBI analysis of Company 1’s databases, seized during a court-authorized search, revealed that Rivera allegedly sold 19 catalytic converters for $7,100. Aceituno allegedly sold 2,128 converters to Company 1 for $699,735. Allegations also include that Aceituno failed to report this income, amounting to $699,735, to the IRS for tax years 2021 and 2022. This led to an alleged tax deficit of $199,908.
Luis Aceituno appeared in U.S. District Court, being released on an unsecured bond. Kuron Mitchell was similarly released to home detention with GPS monitoring following a court appearance. Alberto Rivera remains detained on unrelated charges.
A federal criminal complaint is an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Julie M. White.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies, including the FBI, Cranston Police Department, Providence Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigations, and other law enforcement departments.
