They fetch a lot of money for thieves, and are expensive to replace.A multimillion-dollar organized crime enterprise that specialized in catalytic converters thefts in the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, has been dismantled, the Bucks County District Attorney said last week.
A Philadelphia tow yard has been charged and nearly a dozen people have been arrested following a yearlong collaborative investigation between three dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Over the past few years, catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed in Bucks County because of the money the thieves can fetch at scrap yards, the DA’s office said.
Now, investigators what to hear from victims for possible reimbursement. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub asked possible victims to call his office.
Owners of cars with stolen catalytic converters may be reimbursed for repair costs. Ken Hein, the owner of Greenwood Automotive Specialists in Glenside, said those repairs can cost a lot.
“Just upset. Just can’t believe it,” Hein said.
That is how Hein described his customers, whose catalytic converters were stolen. He said many do not know they are victims until after they are in the shop, adding that repairs can cost $800 for domestic cars and at least $1,800 for imports.
“Because, you are going to have to replace all the way from the front, all the way to the back where it meets the muffler and the oxygen sensor,” Hein said.
Weintraub said thieves sell the parts for the expensive and precious metals inside.
To read the rest of the report from CBS-Philadelphia, click here.
