Man In 'Stolen Catalytic Converter Trafficking Ring' Gets Prison: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — A 27-year-old from New Haven will serve 14 months in a federal prison for his role in what prosecutors describe as a stolen catalytic converter trafficking ring, according to Marc H. Silverman, Acting U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.

Mervin Figueroa was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Hartford. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release, Silverman said.

As a catalytic converter contains precious metals, it can be easily be removed from a vehicle, and is difficult to trace, making it a desirable target for thieves, Silverman said. The average scrap price for catalytic converters currently varies between $300 and $1,500, depending on the model and type of precious metal component, he noted. As such, local, state, and federal law have been investigating catalytic converter thefts from cars across the state, Silverman said.

According to Silverman, based on court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that Alexander Kolitsas owned and operated Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC which had a warehouse on Park Avenue in East Hartford.

Kolitsas and Downpipe Depot purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves, including Figueroa, and then transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey, the federal prosecutor said.

"Kolitsas instructed his suppliers on the types of converters that would obtain the most profit upon resale, and he would often meet with them and transact business at his home in Wolcott late at night or behind a family member’s restaurant in Middlebury after hours," Silverman said.

According to the U.S. Attorney, beginning in January 2022, Kolitsas maintained electronic invoices reflecting the purchase of stolen catalytic converters from Figueroa and other suppliers.

"In several of the invoices, Kolitsas permitted his suppliers to use fictitious names or business names in order to create the appearance of proper record keeping while obscuring from his records the true source of the stolen converters," Silverman explained. "The invoices show that between approximately January 26 and May 31, 2022, Kolitsas and Downpipe Depot paid approximately $3,345,675 to purchase stolen converters from his co-conspirators."

According to those invoices, Figueroa was paid $169,840 for catalytic converters, including converters that were stolen in two separate incidents from vehicles at U-Haul Moving and Storage in Naugatuck, court records show.

"In messages between Kolitsas and Figueroa, Kolitsas told Figueroa that he needed to remove anti-theft tags that U-Haul had placed on the converters before Kolitsas would take them," Silverman said. "The investigation revealed that Figueroa also stole converters from school buses."

Figueroa was arrested in November 2023. a year later, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. Released on a $50,000 bond, he's required to report to prison June 2.

Kolitsas pleaded guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing.