EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Five Connecticut residents are facing federal indictment for allegedly conspiring to turn stolen catalytic converters across the state into cash. Their allegedly illegal activities continued for more than a year.
This group used an invoice system and kept electronic records to maintain the appearance of legitimacy. While behind the scenes, they reportedly altered the figures by using false names of suppliers, according to federal authorities.
“They were caught,” said Ken Barone of the Municipal and Regional Police Office at UConn.
The 13-page federal indictment implicates five Connecticut residents in an illegal operation to buy and sell stolen catalytic converters through their business, Downpipe Depot Recycling LLC.
They face federal charges ranging from conspiracy to money laundering.
“Catalytic converters have precious metals in them,” said Barone, who studies and analyzes crime data.
At the head of the operation were Alexander Kolitsas and Bryant Bermudez. They allegedly used the profits to buy new cars and build a home entertainment center.
“This theater man. This is gonna be sick. I’ve got a little popcorn machine,” said Kolitsas on his Facebook page as he previewed the construction of his theater.
The indictment describes how Kolitsas would advise his associates of the most profitable converters.
“Overall the safest bet would be Honda and Acuras,” he texted, as mentioned in the indictment report.
The pair were reportedly storing the stolen converters at Kolitsas’s home in Wolcott, the Maples Restaurant in Middlebury and a warehouse in East Hartford on Park Avenue. They allegedly accumulated a cache of weapons along the way to guard their inventory and eventually transported the stolen goods to New York and New Jersey to be sold for cash.
Connecticut’s new catalytic converter law made it harder to fence stolen goods within the state.
“The new law could be impacting the sale of these,” remarked Barone. But the new law doesn’t address their theft. So far this year, Connecticut has logged an average of 622 thefts of car parts and accessories every month.
“It happened to one of my coworkers,” West Hartford resident Adele Clark. “He went literally just to run an errand and come back at 10 p.m. and when he went back to his car his catalytic converter was stolen.”
“We try to make sure we are parking in well-lit areas where we know what goes on in the neighborhood," said Tyler Morrissey of South Windsor. "Obviously, you can’t watch your car 24/7 so you just have to take the precautions that you can and hope for the best.”
Kolitsas was arraigned at the federal courthouse in New Haven where he pleaded not guilty and was set free after posting a $100,000 bond.
There are aftermarket locks available online for preventing thieves from cutting off a catalytic converter, but Ken Barone told FOX61 that vehicle manufacturers need to start manufacturing parts that are harder to steal.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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