A mom and two sons have admitted to being a part of a hoop that shipped $600m (£492m) price of stolen catalytic converters from California to New Jersey, federal prosecutors have mentioned.
Brothers Tou Sue Vang, 32, and Andrew Vang, 28, together with their mom, Monica Moua, 58, have been a part of “a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors” who supplied the units to a steel refinery, in response to a press release from the US lawyer’s workplace.
The three relations from Sacramento, California, pleaded responsible on Monday to conspiring to move the stolen catalytic converters in return for greater than $38m (£31m).
Tou Sue Vang additionally pleaded responsible to 39 prices associated to cash laundering, prosecutors mentioned.
A complete of 21 folks from California and New Jersey have been charged within the case, prosecutors mentioned.
Catalytic converters flip pollution emitted from a automotive’s exhaust into much less dangerous gases.
They will be simply stolen from beneath a car and include treasured metals together with platinum.
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“Some of these precious metals are more valuable per ounce than gold, and their value has been increasing in recent years,” the US lawyer’s workplace mentioned.
“The black market price for catalytic converters can be above $1,000 (£820) each.”
California accounts for 37% of catalytic converter theft claims throughout the US, with about 1,600 reported stolen every month, federal prosecutors mentioned.
Source: information.sky.com”