Crime Boss’ $600M+ In Catalytic Converters Are Now Worth Up To 17 Years Of Prison Time

A lifestyle of excess built on an empire of stolen catalytic converters has taken a final exhausted breath. The ring leader of a multi-state crime ring has pleaded guilty to overseeing the theft and resale of more than $600 million worth of the pivotal auto part known for its precious earth metals. 

According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, the 41-year-old man is the owner and operator of the New Jersey-based D.G. Auto Parts. This wasn’t just another small-time auto parts store, though. Federal prosecutors say the car parts dealer that operated out of an innocuous business park was just a front for a criminal enterprise that trafficked hundreds of stolen goods. Per the DOJ:

From May 2020 through October 2022, [he] conspired with others to purchase and transport large quantities of stolen catalytic converters from Oklahoma, Texas, and other states to New Jersey. [He] admitted to receiving more than $600 million by reselling the stolen catalytic converters to a metal refinery that extracted the precious metals.

After receiving the catalytic converters, the man admitted to taking them to a local recycler, says NBC New York:

In a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, [he] said, “After purchasing these catalytic converters, I resold most of them to Dowa Metals & Mining, a metal refinery, which would then extract the powdered precious metals.”…

Dowa Metals is a subsidiary of Japan-based Dowa Holdings Co., which is a component of the Nikkei 225 stock market index. The company has not been charged in connection with [this] case.

More than 20 individuals have been identified and charged for their involvement in the nationwide scheme, including the crime boss’ parents. NJ.com reports that after his arrest in 2022, his parents and three brothers continued to manage the illegal activities in his absence. All have since been arrested as well.

The DOJ says 13 co-defendants are awaiting sentencing following their own guilty pleas given to the federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma, although the crimes occurred from coast to coast. NBC New York added insight into how the large-scale criminal operation was finally caught:

[The crime ring] was exposed after police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, discovered nearly 130 catalytic converters in the bed of a truck they stopped in May 2021, after an off-duty officer reported suspicions about the vehicle.

That stop came during a nationwide surge of thefts in catalytic converters, which are part of the exhaust systems of automobiles, and which contain precious metals including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

As part of their plea deals, the co-defendants agreed to relinquish more than $3.2 million, two lots of land in Oklahoma, numerous cars, and the stolen converters seized during the investigation. Of course, the bossman has to forfeit so much more. The DOJ says that includes:

…almost $4 million in cash, 11 luxury vehicles — including a Lamborghini, two Mercedes AMGs, two Ferraris, a McLaren, a Porsche, a Ford F650 Truck, and a BMW M3 — real estate properties, high-end jewelry, gold bars, and over 200 pallets of catalytic converters, all seized by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants at [his] properties.

Whew. That’s a lot of nice stuff. But now gone. *Poof*

The New Jersey crime boss was also indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California, which is where his final sentencing will be transferred to. There, he’ll be prosecuted for additional crimes and faces a maximum penalty of 168 to 210 months behind bars. Car owners can then breathe easy, at least for the next 14-18 years or so.

Top graphic image: Tahamie Farooqui/Pexels