The leader of a multi-state catalytic converter theft ring pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday.
Navin Khanna, 41, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen goods in interstate commerce and five counts of money laundering for his part in the scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s criminal division, Khanna made $600 million by buying and selling the stolen car parts.
“Sophisticated criminal schemes may afford you luxury cars and homes in the short term but will cost you a federal felony conviction in the long term,” Galeotti said in a statement.
Khanna reportedly admitted to owning and operating D.G. Auto Parts, which was a front for a criminal ring buying and selling auto parts from around the country. Between May 2020 and October 2022, Khanna worked with others to source “large quantities” of stolen catalytic converters from Oklahoma, Texas, and other states. He then sold the car parts to a metal refinery that extracted precious metals used in their creation.
Tulsa police began looking into the thefts in 2020 when reports of stolen catalytic converters skyrocketed in the area. Their investigation uncovered the broader national criminal enterprise.
Khanna was indicted by federal grand juries in the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California. Over twenty others have been charged across the country for their role in the conspiracy.
Catalytic converters are a device in a vehicle’s exhaust system the harmful emissions into less toxic substances. The auto parts are often made with platinum, but may also be made with palladium and rhodium, all of which are precious metals.
According to an advisory put out by the Takoma Park, Maryland police last year concerning catalytic converter thefts, the price of platinum was $999.40 per ounce, palladium was $1,102 per ounce, and rhodium was $4,725 per ounce.
“Thieves can get between $50 and $250 for each converter stolen,” the department said at the time.
As part of his plea agreement in the Northern District of Oklahoma, Khanna agreed to forfeit nearly $4 million in cash, 11 luxury vehicles — including a Lamborghini, two Mercedes AMGs, two Ferraris, a McLaren, a Porsche, a Ford F650, and a BMW M3 — his real estate properties, high-end jewelry, gold bars, and more than 200 pallets of catalytic converters.
His 13 co-defendants in the region forfeited $3.2 million, including more than $250,000 from multiple bank accounts, land in Oklahoma, cars, and more stolen catalytic converters.
His sentencing will now be transferred to the Eastern District of California, where he awaits further prosecution for related crimes, the Justice Department said.
Khanna will face a maximum penalty of 168 to 210 months in prison — approximately 17 and-a-half years in prison on the high end.
