2 Nevada men charged in nationwide catalytic converter theft scheme
Two Nevada men were among nearly two dozen charged in connection with a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring that generated millions of dollars in revenue, according to the Department of Justice.
Louis Rodriguez and Josue Reynoso Ochoa are accused of buying stolen catalytic converters while working for an unnamed Las Vegas business, bringing the company $4 million in resales of the stolen parts between March 2021 and July, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
The U.S. attorney’s office alleged that the men knowingly bought the parts from people who stole them, and the pair resold the catalytic converters to another business in New Jersey. Undercover FBI agents posed as catalytic converter thieves and recorded their transactions with both men in July.
The men are among at least 23 people charged and arrested in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia, according to a statement Wednesday from the Department of Justice.
Thirteen defendants were charged in Oklahoma, where authorities said more than 2,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the past year. Another nine were indicted in California.
“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 nation-wide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the statement. “We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”
Trisha Young, a spokesperson for the department’s Nevada office, said Reynoso Ochoa has been arrested. Rodriguez had not yet been detained.
Rodriguez and Ochoa are accused of buying each vehicle part from the undercover agents for a few hundred dollars, but it was unclear what price they charged to sell them to the New Jersey company.
In California, three people were charged with selling stolen catalytic converters to an auto parts company in New Jersey for $38 million. Six people associated with the New Jersey business were accused of selling the metals inside the catalytic converters for $545 million. It was unclear how long the scheme had been operating.
Rodriguez and Ochoa are being charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. The case is being prosecuted by Edward Veronda, who could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.
Catalytic converters are a part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that reduces the amount of pollutants and toxic gases discharged by the internal combustion engine. The devices contain precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium in their cores and are often targeted by thieves because of their high value, lack of identifying markings and relative ease of theft.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.