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Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Catalytic Converter Theft
BOSTON – A Springfield man has pleaded guilty to his role in a regional organized theft crew that stole catalytic converters from over 490 vehicles as well as from ATMs and jewelry stores.
Zachary Marshall, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Feb. 7, 2024.
Marshall and six other men were arrested on April 12, 2023, and charged with offenses related to the theft, transportation and sale of stolen catalytic converters taken from over 490 vehicles during 2022 and 2023.
Catalytic converter theft has become a nationwide problem across a multitude of state, local, and federal jurisdictions due to the high-valued precious metals they contain – some of which are more valuable than gold, with black-market prices being more than $1,000 each in recent years.
The theft of a vehicle’s catalytic converter results in damage that renders the vehicle inoperable – both mechanically and legally under EPA regulations – until properly replaced. Marshall was a member of an organized crew that allegedly stole catalytic converters from at least 492 vehicles across Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2022 and 2023 alone.
It is believed that a significant number of additional thefts have not been identified or were not ever reported to law enforcement, however. The crew was skilled and able to locate and cut away the catalytic converter from a vehicle within a minute in most instances – often utilizing battery operated power-tools, car jacks.
Marshall participated in thefts of catalytic converters from 107 vehicles over the course of 10 separate instances between Jan. 19, 2023 and April 6, 2023 – most of which targeted vehicles in more than one municipality over the course of a single night.
Once in possession of the stolen catalytic converters, the crew would then sell them to Jose Torres, who would accumulate stolen catalytic converters from multiple theft crews and then in turn sell them to scrap dealers in the Northeast – transacting approximately $30,000 to $80,000 in stolen catalytic converters per week.
Marshall also admitted to breaking into a self-storage facility in Northborough, MA on February 2, 2023, with Rafael Davila. During this break-in, Davila and Marshall stole items from storage units, and stole a truck containing approximately $13,000 worth of Milwaukee brand power tools.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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