Latest news with #TouSueVang
San Francisco Chronicle
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
California man led $38M catalytic converter theft ring, lived lavishly off stolen parts
A Northern California man who spent millions on luxury homes, Teslas and personal watercraft was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison for running a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring that prosecutors say netted $38 million. According to court documents, Tou Sue Vang, 33, used proceeds from the illicit sale of thousands of catalytic converters to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, including the $1.2 million cash purchase of a five-acre multi-home compound in Rio Linda, another property in Sacramento, and over a dozen vehicles — among them two Teslas and two Sea-Doo watercraft. Federal authorities say Vang was the ringleader of a group that trafficked stolen catalytic converters from California to New Jersey, where a metal refinery extracted and sold their precious metals. 'This defendant led a network of criminals that hurt thousands of innocent car owners,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. Vang, his brother Andrew Vang, and their mother Monica Moua admitted to buying the stolen parts from local thieves — known in court documents as 'cutters' — and shipping them to DG Auto, a New Jersey company run by brothers Navin and Tinu Khanna, who have also been charged in the case. Some shipments weighed more than 1,000 pounds and contained high-value converters, such as those from the Toyota Prius. Authorities say the family operated out of homes and storage units, without a valid business license, using falsified shipping manifests and bank withdrawals to launder profits. 'This takedown is the first of its kind in the nation,' FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said. 'The group is tied to an estimated $38 million in losses.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Catalytic converter theft ring in California raked in $38M, prosecutors say
A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for role in a family-run catalytic converter theft ring that brought in more than $38 million, federal officials announced this week. In a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecutors said 33-year-old Tou Sue Vang, a resident of Sacramento, along with his brother Andrew Vang and his mother Monica Moua, bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves and transported them across state lines to a buyer New Jersey. 'Catalytic converter theft has become prevalent across the nation because of their value, relative ease to steal, and their lack of identifying markings,' the release noted. 'Thieves steal catalytic converters from vehicles on the street for the precious metals they contain.' In some cases, the precious metals inside the parts are more valuable per ounce than gold, prosecutors added, and the black-market rate for certain catalytic converters out of California can be more than $1,000 each. The theft ring was primarily run out of the family's residence, as well as storage units. FILE – This photo provided by the Phoenix Police Department shows stolen catalytic converters that were recovered after detectives served a search warrant at a storage unit in Phoenix, May 27, 2022. The Minnesota Senate voted 40-25 on Thursday, March 2, 2023, to make it harder for thieves to sell stolen catalytic converters, a crime that has skyrocketed across the country in recent years. (Phoenix Police Department via AP, File) Inside the vehicle were six stolen catalytic converters, a stolen license plate and burglary tools, officials said. The vehicle itself was also found to have been stolen. (FB/Fountain Valley Police Department) Deputies seized 20 catalytic converters from inside a car they pulled over for a routine traffic stop in the Isla Vista area of Santa Barbara County, California. Jan. 17, 2023. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) Two suspects were arrested after officers found six stolen vehicles and over 100 stolen catalytic converters inside their Victorville home on Nov. 13, 2023. (San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department) In this undated photo provided by the Utah Attorney General's Office, catalytic converters are shown after being seized in a recent investigation. (Utah Attorney General's Office via AP) The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on June 8, 2022, released this image of seized catalytic converters (SBCSD) The underside of a Toyota Prius with a catalytic converter (Getty Images) Brand new catalytic converters seen in this undated file photo. Some of the shipments to DG Auto in the Garden State weighed as much as 1,000 pounds and contained a specific type of high-value catalytic converter, like those found in the Toyota Prius. DG Auto, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, turned around sold the parts to a metal refinery for more than $100 million. 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis Tou Vang used proceeds from the illicit business to finance his lavish lifestyle, which included a $1.23 million multi-home complex on five acres in Rio Linda, the DOJ said. As part of his sentence, the U.S. Government seized $150,000 in cash, 13 vehicles, four personal watercraft, jewelry, real estate and other property. In 2023, Tou Vang, his brother and mother pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection to the theft ring. 'This takedown is the first of its kind in the nation and a major step forward in dismantling a catalytic converter theft ring,' Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office said. 'The group is tied to an estimated $38 million in losses, and this investigation shows the power of strong collaboration.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
A family-run catalytic converter ring in Sacramento nets $38 million. Mom and two sons pleaded guilty
Tou Sue Vang ran a profitable family business in Sacramento with his brother, Andrew, and his mother, Monica Moua. But the lucrative family enterprise was illegal and involved buying stolen catalytic converters in a scheme that made more than $38 million for the family, according to authorities. On Tuesday, Tou Sue Vang, 33, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the theft ring, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of California. In 2023, Vang, along with his brother and mother, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen catalytic converters bought from local thieves and selling them to a New Jersey buyer for more than $38 million, officials said. Vang also pleaded guilty to 39 additional money-laundering charges. Vang's brother and mother are awaiting sentencing. Catalytic converter theft has become common across the U.S. because the car part is easy to steal, includes no identifying markings and is very valuable. Catalytic converters contain precious metals that make some of them worth more than $1,000 each on the black market. At least one man in Inglewood was shot and killed trying to stop a catalytic converter theft. Read more: Inglewood police seek suspects in death of man who tried to stop catalytic converter theft Vang and his family operated the illegal enterprise from private residences and storage units and didn't have a valid business license or a scrapyard, officials said. Vang shipped to DG Auto in New Jersey more than 1,000 pounds in goods. DG Auto then sold the converters and the precious metals to a metal refinery for more than $600 million, according to the indictments. The case also includes 12 defendants from New Jersey, including brothers Navin Khanna and Tinu Khanna, who ran DG Auto and bought the stolen catalytic converters from California, authorities said. Vang used some of the money from the business to buy a five-acre, $1.235-million home in Rio Linda, another home in Sacramento, as well as more than a dozen cars and personal watercraft, authorities said. Vang forfeited more than $150,000 in cash as part of his sentence, plus 13 cars, four watercraft, jewelry, real estate and other property. "This defendant led a network of criminals that hurt thousands of innocent car owners," said Acting U.S. Atty. Michele Beckwith in the news release. "This case represents the kind of far-reaching investigation that federal, state, and local law enforcement partners can do when working together." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
