TULSA, Okla. — UPDATE: A Wagoner man involved in a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring was sentenced to prison Monday.

Tyler James Curtis pleaded guilty last October to his role in the thefts, admitting he received more than $16 million from March 2021 to October 2022.

Court documents say Curtis sold stolen catalytic converters to a company in New Jersey.

The federal indictment says there were thirteen people involved in the theft ring, and eight of those lived in Oklahoma.

Curtis was sentenced to nearly five years in prison and three years of supervised release following his sentencing.

He has also been ordered to turn over $3.4 million in cash, two pickup trucks, and nearly $212,000 in bank funds seized by authorities.

Nine other defendants indicted in Tulsa have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years’ probation to nearly three years in prison.

Sentencing remains pending for three other defendants.

ORIGINAL STORY:

On Wednesday, federal, state,of and local law enforcement conducted a takedown of a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ).

According to a USDOJ press release, arrests, searches, and seizures were made in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia.

21 people in five states have been arrested and or charged for their roles in the ring.

Catalytic converters are used to reduce gas and pollutants from a vehicle’s engine. They are often targeted for theft due to their value, relative ease of use, and lack of identifying markings. The black-market price can be more than $1,000 each, depending on the type of vehicle and state it is from.

The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments from the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma. In addition to the indictments, more than 32 search warrants were executed and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash and luxury vehicles.

“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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”

“This national network of criminals hurt victims across the country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process—on the backs of thousands of innocent car owners. Today’s charges showcase how the FBI and its partners act together to stop crimes that hurt all too many Americans.”

13 defendants were charged in the Northern District of Oklahoma with conspiracy to receive stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.

The 13 defendants charged in the Northern District of Oklahoma are Navin Khanna, 39, of Holmdel, New Jersey; Adam Sharkey, 26, of West Islip, New York; Robert Gary Sharkey, 57, of Babylon, New York; Tyler James Curtis, 26, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Benjamin Robert Mansour, 24, of Bixby, Oklahoma; Reiss Nicole Biby, 24, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Martynas Macerauskas, 28, of Leila Lake, Texas; Kristina McKay Macerauskas, 21, of Leila Lake, Texas; Parker Star Weavel, 25, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Shane Allen Minnick, 26, of Haskell, Oklahoma; Ryan David LaRue 29, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Brian Pate Thomas, 25, of Choteau, Oklahoma; and Michael Anthony Rhoden, 26, of Keifer, Oklahoma.

According to court documents, the defendants bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves on the street, then re-sold and shipped them to DG Auto in New Jersey for processing.

Defendant Tyler James Curtis received more than $13 million in wired funds from DG Auto for the shipment of catalytic converters and received more than $500,000 from Capital Cores for catalytic converters.

Defendant Adam G. Sharkey received more than $45 million in wired funds from DG Auto.

Defendant Martynas Macerauskas received more than $6 million in payments from DG Auto for catalytic converters.

In these incidents, most of the catalytic converters sold to DG Auto were stolen and DG Auto knew or should have known that when they paid for them.

Nine defendants were charged in the Eastern District of California with conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.

According to court documents, brothers Tou Sue Vang, 31, and Andrew Vang, 27, and Monica Moua, 51, all of Sacramento, California, allegedly operated an unlicensed business where they bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipped them to DG Auto Parts LLC (DG Auto) in New Jersey for processing.

The Vang family allegedly sold more than $38 million in stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto.

The operators of DG auto knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters and 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 more than $545 million.

Defendants Navin Khanna, aka Lovin Khanna, 39; Tinu Khanna, aka Gagan Khanna, 35; Daniel Dolan, 44; Chi Mo, aka David Mo, 37; Wright Louis Mosley, 50; and Ishu Lakra, 24, all of New Jersey, operated DG Auto in multiple locations in New Jersey.

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