FRESNO’s report of catalytic converter theft fell 60% after federal authorities arrested a man who had sold thousands of parts of a stolen vehicle for profits of more than $2.5 million.
Federal prosecutors announced a dramatic decline in thefts reported Thursday after being convicted of George Thomas, 72, who was accused of interstate transport of stolen property and other crimes in 2023. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he was sentenced.
Thomas was a prolific reseller of catalytic converters. It is very valuable as it is made in part from precious metals like platinum and palladium, and can be sold on the black market for hundreds or thousands of dollars per ounce.
Catalytic converter thieves have terrified Californians for years, and several encounters become violent when the car owner encounters the thief. Actor Johnny Wactor was shot and killed by a burglar last year after attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his Toyota Prius in downtown Los Angeles, and a man was fatally shot in February to confront two suspicious burglars in Inglewood.
Thomas did not commit the theft himself, but he worked with numerous converter burglars whom he met in the strip mall and motel parking lots to buy the stolen goods, prosecutors said.
He gave the burglar instructions as to which part of the car he was looking for and what part of the car it was best to cut the converter out of the vehicle.
Thomas tried to conceal illegal activities by taking photos of converter sellers and sought a vehicle identification number for each sale and a record. He also had burglars sign the documents that the converter had not been stolen. However, investigators found that more than half of the VINs do not match the cars that could have come with the converter.
Thomas then kicked the converter out of California to a scrap metal shop in Oregon where he sold the converter for a total of $2.7 million.
To catch Thomas, federal agents posed for a secret agent as a converter thief he wanted to sell to Thomas, confirming that the parts Thomas was buying were illegal.
The undercover investigator met with Thomas and sold converters and made it clear how they were acquired.
“I got these little flicking knuckle heads.
Thomas wasn’t bothered.
“I don’t care where you get the converter,” he said.
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