PROVIDENCE — Three Rhode Island men have been charged in federal court for allegedly stealing and selling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of catalytic converters, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Kuron Mitchell, 25, of Newport, Alberto Rivera, 25, of Cranston, and Luis Aceituno, 27, of Providence, each face charges of interstate transportation of stolen property in excess of $5,000 and conspiracy to commit the same.
Aceituno faces additional charges of filing false tax returns.
According to charging documents, the Cranston Police Department began tracking patterns of catalytic converter thefts in January 2022.
Investigators later identified a criminal group allegedly responsible for more than 7,000 stolen catalytic converters in Southern New England and the greater Boston area, valued at over $2.4 million.
Many of the stolen converters were allegedly sold to a Providence recycling company, with scrap prices ranging from $300 to $1,500 depending on the model and precious metal components.
From January 2021 until November 2022, the three men and others allegedly canvassed neighborhoods and parking lots in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, cutting off catalytic converters from unoccupied vehicles.
FBI analysis of company databases seized during a February 2023 search revealed Rivera allegedly sold 19 catalytic converters for $7,100, while Aceituno allegedly sold 2,128 converters for $699,735.
Aceituno is further accused of failing to report $699,735 in income to the IRS for tax years 2021 and 2022, evading approximately $199,908 in taxes.
Aceituno appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday and was released on unsecured bond.
Mitchell appeared in court on April 25 and was ordered released to home detention with GPS monitoring.
Rivera is currently detained on unrelated charges.
