Sacramento man sentenced for role in $38 million catalytic converter theft ring
By Peyton Headlee
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento man was sentenced on Tuesday to 12 years in prison for his part in a $38 million catalytic converter theft ring.
The Department of Justice said 33-year-old Tou Sue Vang of Sacramento was sentenced for transporting thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines, along with laundering money and other crimes.
Court documents show Tou Sue Vang, his brother, Andrew Vang, and mother, Monica Moua, bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and then sold them to a buyer in New Jersey for more than $38 million.
The stolen catalytic converters would be held at storage facilities across the region and then shipped across the country, according to court documents. Some of those shipments weighed over 1,000 pounds.
Tou Vang and his family mainly operated from their private residences and storage units. They did not have a scrap yard or a valid business license.
The indictment also said the thieves used an app that gave real time pricing for their customers allowing them to look up market rates for catalytic converters based on the make and model of the cars.
“This defendant led a network of criminals that hurt thousands of innocent car owners,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. “This case represents the kind of far-reaching investigation that federal, state, and local law enforcement partners can do when working together. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continuing its law enforcement partnerships to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”
Vang spent the money he made from the stolen catalytic converters to buy a five-acre multi-home complex in Rio Linda for $1.235 million in cash, over a dozen motor vehicles, and an additional home in Sacramento.
As part of Vang’s sentence, the U.S. forfeited more than $150,000, 13 motor vehicles, four personal watercraft, jewelry, and property.
The prosecution was part of a nationwide initiative that dismantled a catalytic converter theft conspiracy. In addition to the three defendants from California, this case includes 12 defendants from New Jersey.
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