Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Oct. 18 that Jose Deleon, 37, of Brooklyn, Oliver Morocho, 21, of Queens, and Albert Espinal, 23, of Queens, were arrested and arraigned for Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, and other related charges, for allegedly stealing catalytic converters from personal vehicles in front of their owners’ homes in Centereach, Wyandanch, Central Islip, Brentwood, Bayshore, and West Babylon. These men allegedly traveled by car from Brooklyn into Suffolk County to commit the crimes.

“Catalytic converter thefts continue to be a nationwide issue, and we remain committed in Suffolk County to working with law enforcement to crack down on these crimes and to prosecuting those responsible to the fullest extent of the law,” said District Attorney Tierney. “I remind those that would seek to steal catalytic converters in Suffolk County, we are vigilant and persistent and will hold you accountable for your actions. I want to thank all our partners in the Suffolk County Police Department, the US Marshals Service, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department who collaborated in this investigation.”

“These arrests highlight the importance of law enforcement partnerships, which lead to the apprehension of criminals like these,” said Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring. “Any one of us can become a victim of crimes of this nature and we will continue to target individuals who steal for financial gain. I commend all the agencies involved and I want to thank the department’s Property/Auto Crime Unit for their work on this case.”

“I commend District Attorney Tierney, and the investigators from Suffolk, Nassau and NYC Police Departments on dismantling this theft ring,” said Vincent F. DeMarco,United States Marshal, Eastern District of NY. “The United States Marshals Service is committed to assisting our state and local partners in apprehending individuals who are accused of committing crimes.”

“This is a clear example of when law enforcement personnel from federal and local agencies combine their efforts and resources to effectively apprehend those criminals who commit crimes in our communities. This combined investigation demonstrates the diligence of the well trained and determined detectives which yielded the arrest of these individuals,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder. “The Nassau County Police Department will remain committed in working with our law enforcement partners keeping these individuals off our streets and both our counties and residents safe. I would like to thank all of the assisting agencies and their investigators on a job well done.”

According to the investigation, during the early morning hours of September 3, 2024, September 25, 2024, and October 2, 2024, Deleon, Morocho and Espinal drove across county lines to allegedly steal catalytic converters from vehicles parked in the driveways of 13 separate homes in Suffolk County. Their alleged actions were captured on the homeowners’ surveillance cameras, which aided law enforcement officers in their identification.

The tasks were allegedly divided amongst them so that Morocho remained in the car as the driver of the getaway vehicle, while Espinal worked to jack up the victim’s cars so that Deleon could crawl underneath with a portable reciprocating saw to cut out the catalytic converters from their undercarriages.

A search warrant was executed at Deleon and Morocho’s residences, which resulted in the seizure of tools, cash, and other evidence of the alleged crimes.

On October 17, 2024, Deleon, was arraigned following his arrest before District Court Judge Evan Zuckerman for:

•   Two counts of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
•   Three counts of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
•   Three counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony; and
•   Three counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

  Judge Zuckerman ordered Deleon held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $2,500,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Deleon is due back in court on October 21, 2024, and he is being represented by Chase Brown, Esq.

  On October 17, 2024, Morocho was arraigned following his arrest before Judge Zuckerman for:

•   Two counts of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
•   Eleven counts of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
•   Six counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony;
•   Twelve counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor; and
•   One count of Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor.

  Judge Zuckerman ordered Morocho held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $2,500,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Morocho is due back in court on October 21, 2024 and he is being represented by Joseph Hanshe, Esq.

  On October 17, 2024, Espinal, was arraigned following his arrest before Judge Zuckerman for:

•   One count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
•   Eleven counts of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree; a Class E felony;
•   Five counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree; a Class E felony;
•   Twelve counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor; and
•   One count of Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor.

  Judge Zuckerman ordered Espinal be placed on supervised release with a GPS monitor during the pendency of the case. Espinal is due back in court on October 21, 2024, and he is being represented by Eric Besso, Esq.

  Catalytic converters are a part of a vehicle’s exhaust device and use precious metals in their center to reduce pollutants from a vehicle’s engine.

These precious metals, which include palladium, platinum, and rhodium can be more valuable than gold and thus make catalytic converters a target for theft. Specific makes and models of vehicles are targeted more than others due to the amount of precious metals contained in their catalytic converters. Catalytic converters can be stolen from underneath a vehicle in only a few minutes using a reciprocating saw and typically have no unique identification features, which make them difficult to trace to a lawful owner.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Blythe C. Miller of the Financial Crimes Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Detective Christopher Viar of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Property/Auto Crime Unit with assistance from the US Marshals Regional Fugitive Taskforce, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department.