California catalytic converter kingpin sentenced in $38M theft ring
San Jose scrapyard owner agrees to settlement but not charged in catalytic converter theft investigation
A scrapyard in San Jose at the center of a year-long investigation into stolen catalytic converters has decided to settle with the city.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A California man has been sentenced in a $38 million catalytic converter theft ring that involved transporting stolen parts across state lines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tou Sue Vang, 33, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in hauling thousands of stolen catalytic converters across the country and laundering the profits, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith said.
Family affair
What we know:
Vang, along with his brother, Andrew Vang, and their mother, Monica Moua, bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and sold them to a buyer in New Jersey for more than $38 million, prosecutors said.
"Thieves steal catalytic converters from vehicles on the street for the precious metals they contain, which may be more valuable per ounce than gold, and then sell them to buyers like T. Vang," the Justice Department said in a statement.
On the black market, some catalytic converters can sell for more than $1,000 each.
New Jersey connection
What we know:
Brothers Navin Khanna and Tinu Khanna, who operated DG Auto in New Jersey and purchased the converters from Vang, were also charged in the case.
Prosecutors said Vang and his family ran the operation from their homes and storage facilities.
Vang used his profits to fund a lavish lifestyle, including buying a five-acre, multi-home complex in Rio Linda for $1.235 million in cash, as well as another home in Sacramento.
"This defendant led a network of criminals that hurt thousands of innocent car owners," said Beckwith. "This case represents the kind of far-reaching investigation that federal, state, and local law enforcement partners can do when working together."
The Source: The Department of Justice