Suffolk Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Busted: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Two defendants in a catalytic converter theft ring were sentenced to prison, with two more awaiting sentencing, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Thursday.

Oliver Morocho, 22, of Corona, Queens; Albert Espinal, 24, of Queens; and Jose Deleon, 38, of Brooklyn, have each received or are expected to receive, sentences of one to three years in prison, while Geovanny Ortiz 37, of Brooklyn is expected to receive a sentence of six months in October, Tierney said.

The four defendants worked together to steal catalytic converters from personal vehicles parked in front of their owners’ homes throughout Suffolk County in 2024, the DA said.

"The convictions of all the four perpetrators of these quality-of-life crimes demonstrates our continued commitment to investigating catalytic converter thefts and prosecuting those who steal,"Tierney said in a news release. "Stealing catalytic converters on Long Island is rightfully treated as a serious felony."

Since their arrests in October 2024, catalytic converter thefts in Suffolk County have dropped more than 90 percent, Tierney said.

According to court documents and the defendants' admissions during their guilty plea allocutions, during the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 2024, Sept. 25, 2024, and Oct. 2, 2024, Morocho, Espinal, Deleon and Ortiz drove across county lines to steal catalytic converters from vehicles parked in the driveways of 13 separate homes in Suffolk County.

Their actions were captured on the homeowners’ surveillance cameras, which helped law enforcement officers to identify them, prosecutors said.

The tasks were divided among them, officials said. Morocho remained in the car as the driver of the getaway vehicle, while Espinal worked to jack up the victims' cars so that Deleon could crawl underneath with a portable reciprocating saw to cut out the catalytic converters from their undercarriages while Ortiz acted as a lookout, investigators said.

A search warrant was executed at Deleon and Morocho’s residences, which resulted in the seizure
of tools, cash, and other evidence of the crimes, authorities said.

Catalytic converters are a part of a vehicle’s exhaust device and use precious metals in their center to reduce pollutants from a vehicle’s engine. These precious metals, which include palladium, platinum, and rhodium can be more valuable than gold and make catalytic converters a target for theft, Tierney said. Specific makes and models of vehicles are targeted more than others due to the amount of precious metals contained in their catalytic converters. Catalytic converters can be stolen from underneath a vehicle in only a few minutes. Video can be viewed here.

On May 28, Espinal pleaded guilty to charges of one count of second-degree criminal mischief; one count of third-degree criminal mischief; two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny; and two counts of third-degree auto stripping, the DA said.

Espinal is due back in court on Sept. 22 and he is expected to be sentenced to one to three years in prison. Espinal is being represented by Charlie Vargas.

On June 24, Deleon pleaded guilty to charges of one count of second-degree criminal mischief; one count of third-degree criminal mischief; two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny; and two counts of third-degree auto stripping, the DA said.

On July 24, Deleon was sentenced to one to three years in prison. He was represented by Ira Weissman.

On Aug. 18, Ortiz pleaded guilty to charges of one count of second-degree criminal mischief; one count of third-degree criminal mischief; two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny; and two counts of third-degree auto stripping, the DA said.

Ortiz is due back in court on Oct. 15 and he is expected to be sentenced to six months in jail followed by five years of post-release supervision. Ortiz is being represented by Jason Bassett.

On July 11, 2025, Morocho pleaded guilty to charges of one count of second-degree criminal mischief; one count of third-degree criminal mischief; two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny; and two counts of third-degree auto stripping, the DA said.

On Aug. 20, Morocho was sentenced to one to three years in prison. Morocho also forfeited $29,700 in criminal proceeds that were seized during the execution of a search warrant at his Queens apartment, officials said. The money will be used, in part, to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes, the DA said. He was represented by Robert Macedonio.

Tierney thanked the DA's law enforcement partners in the Suffolk County Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department, for collaborating together in the investigation.