In a multi-million dollar catalytic converter theft ring, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced charges against 11 individuals and a Philadelphia towing business on Tuesday.
Catalytic converter purchases by TDI Towing in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood totaled $8.2 million over a three-year period, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub.
Detectives carried out undercover operations and combed through 5,000 hours of surveillance. In one surveillance clip, a worker working inside TDI Towing in Port Richmond is seen removing a car’s catalytic converter and cooling it off.
“What is our objective? to permanently put them out of business. Weintraub said that this was the first occasion during his tenure that he has charged an entire corporation, calling it “a corporate death sentence.”
The inquiry comprised 27 law enforcement organizations from the Delaware Valley.
Criminals don’t give a damn about borders, Weintraub remarked.
The below tweet confirms the news:
The Bucks County District Attorney’s office announced charges Tuesday against 11 people and a Philadelphia towing company in a multi-million dollar catalytic converter theft ring.https://t.co/f67s7lZegT
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) June 28, 2023
According to the prosecution, Michael Williams is the kingpin and operates TDI Towing. Additionally charged are six employees, many of whom are Williams’ relatives.
They are Lisa Davalos, Michael Bruce, Eric Simpson, Kevin Schwartz, Patrick Hopkins, and a youngster. The converters, which according to the investigators were purchased, were delivered to TDI Towing at all hours of the night.
Charges have also been brought against four more suspects who the police identified as the cutters. They consist of Gary Shirley, Michael Evangelist, and Anthony Davalos, all of whom have been detained. There is still no sign of Richard Page.
These are the people who harm your cars, I tell you. These are the same folks who sold the TDI the stolen pets, according to Weintraub.
According to the investigators, the company was reselling the precious metals after purchasing 175 converters on average each week for roughly $300.
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They are rhodium, platinum, and palladium, Weintraub said, adding that the pandemic’s supply chain problems caused a sharp surge in the prices of these metals.
The Port Richmond firm is now secured with padlocks. A significant criminal organization in Philadelphia, according to authorities, has been dismantled.
The district attorney in Bucks County reportedly said thousands. You could multiply that by an erroneous amount to determine the number of people who have been harmed in Philadelphia. Therefore, it’s a terrific day when we can pool all of our resources, according to Frank Vanore, the Philadelphia Police Department’s deputy commissioner of investigations.
According to the prosecution, there is still an investigation going on into the businesses that purchased the metals from TDI.
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