A Philadelphia towing firm and 10 adults one juvenile have been charged in what prosecutors say is a multi-million dollar theft ring that targeted catalytic converters in the Delaware Valley region.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub announced that investigators identified TDI Towing in Philadelphia as the main buyer of catalytic converters stolen in Bucks and Montgomery counties. At its peak, TDI Towing was paying a minimum of $10,000 a night to thieves coming to the tow yard to sell catalytic converters they had stolen from vehicles, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that TDI employees paid an average of $300 per catalytic converter, for a total of nearly $8.2 million over three years. The investigators contend that TDI Towing was operated by Michael Williams, of Philadelphia, and that others in the organization had some family connection to him.
A grand jury recommended charges of corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and related charges against most of the organization..
Bucks County detectives and other law enforcement agencies said they conducted surveillance and controlled sales at the tow yard to identify the alleged thieves and those at the tow yard who purchased the stolen goods.
This investigators said they found that over the three years TDI Towing has been buying catalytic converters the firm bought an average of 175 catalytic converters a week, or 27,300 during those three years.
Every week, and sometimes more than once a week, Williams would take catalytic converters from TDI Towing for resale and profit at another location, the investigation found. He took about 50 catalytic converters per trip.
The district attorney’s office said additional persons may be charged.
Three dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in Bucks County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Philadelphia, and New Jersey took part in this investigation.
Over the past few years, thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles have risen across the nation because of the money that salvage yards will pay for the rare metals they contain.
Source: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
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