Californians plead guilty in $600 million nationwide catalytic converter theft scheme

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Californians plead guilty in $600 million nationwide catalytic converter theft scheme

Updated 8:22 PM EDT, October 16, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Three members of a California family pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy for their role in a ring that shipped $600 million worth of stolen catalytic converters from California to New Jersey, federal prosecutors said.

Brothers Tou Sue Vang, 32, and Andrew Vang, 28, along with their mother, Monica Moua, 58, were part of “a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors” who provided the stolen auto anti-smog devices to a metal refinery for more than $600 million dollars, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Twenty-one people from California and New Jersey have been charged in the case, prosecutors said. The three Sacramento family members pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport the devices in return for more than $38 million.

Tou Sue Vang also pleaded guilty to 39 charges related to money laundering, prosecutors said.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/catalytic-converter-theft-california-new-jersey-3a721b77b03407d344a8a4396cb5302f

[BigmanPigman]

1. Family values

[VMA131Marine]

2. So, have the refinery executives been charged yet?

???

[Unwind Your Mind]

3. Indeed, I always wondered who was buying those from the thieves

This article doesn’t really clarify

[Eugene]

7. According to the indictment, the refinery wasn't necessarily culpable.

The "de-canners" in New Jersey broke the converters into metal powders, which they sold onward.

Three Defendants Plead Guilty to a $38 Million Catalytic Converter Theft Conspiracy (U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California)

According to court documents, the defendants pleading guilty today operated an unlicensed business from their residence in Sacramento where they bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipped them to DG Auto Parts LLC (DG Auto) in New Jersey for processing. They sold over $38 million in stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto.

Also charged in the 2022 indictment were co-defendants Navin Khanna, aka Lovin Khanna, 40; Tinu Khanna, aka Gagan Khanna, 36; Daniel Dolan, 45; Chi Mo, aka David Mo, 37; Wright Louis Mosley, 50; and Ishu Lakra, 25, all of New Jersey who operated DG Auto in multiple locations in New Jersey. According to court documents, they knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters and, through a “de-canning” process, extracted the precious metal powders from the catalytic core. DG Auto sold the precious metal powders it processed from California and elsewhere to a metal refinery for over $600 million. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/three-defendants-plead-guilty-38-million-catalytic-converter-theft-conspiracy

[Chainfire]

4. The bastards stole two from my yard in one night costing me thousands of dollars.

Neither vehicle was insured against that type of theft. The thieves at the bottom end probably got a couple of hundred bucks for the damage that they did me. The ones at the top need to lose everthing, including their freedom. That certainly goes for the thieves that refined the product; they knew exactly what was happening and made the choice to participate in the criminal enterprise. The ones at the very top of the chain will be immune from justice because of the golden rule.

[Unwind Your Mind]

5. It happened to three different people just on my block

One of them an elderly lady on a fixed income, it was a disaster for her