(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that two defendants in a catalytic converter theft ring have been sentenced to prison, with two defendants awaiting sentencing. Oliver Morocho, 22, of Corona, Queens, Albert Espinal, 24, also of Queens, and Jose Deleon, 38, of Brooklyn, have each received or are expected to receive, sentences of 1 to 3 years in prison, while Geovanny Ortiz 37, of Brooklyn is expected to receive a sentence of 6 months in October. The four defendants worked together to steal catalytic converters from personal vehicles parked in front of their owners’ homes throughout Suffolk County in 2024.
“The convictions of all the four perpetrators of these quality-of-life crimes demonstrates our continued commitment to investigating catalytic converter thefts and prosecuting those who steal,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Stealing catalytic converters on Long Island is rightfully treated as a serious felony. I want to thank our law enforcement partners in the Suffolk County Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department who collaborated in this investigation.”
According to court documents and the defendants’ admissions during their guilty plea allocutions, during the early morning hours of September 3, 2024, September 25, 2024, and October 2, 2024, Morocho, Espinal, Deleon and Ortiz drove across county lines to steal catalytic converters from vehicles parked in the driveways of 13 separate homes in Suffolk County.
Their actions were captured on the homeowners’ surveillance cameras, which helped law enforcement officers in identifying them.
The tasks were 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 while Ortiz acted as a lookout.
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 May 28, 2025, Espinal pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski to the following charges:
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
- Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Class E felonies; and
- Two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, Class A misdemeanors.
Espinal is due back in court on September 22, 2025, and he is expected to be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. Espinal is being represented by Charlie Vargas, Esq.
On June 24, 2025, Deleon pleaded guilty before Justice Pilewski to the following charges:
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
- Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Class E felonies; and
- Two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, Class A misdemeanors.
On July 24, 2025, Deleon was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. He was represented by Ira Weissman, Esq.
On August 18, 2025, Ortiz pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski to the following charges:
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
- Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Class E felonies; and
- Two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, Class A misdemeanors.
Ortiz is due back in court on October 15, 2025, and he is expected to be sentenced to six months in jail followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. Ortiz is being represented by Jason Bassett, Esq.
On July 11, 2025, Morocho pleaded guilty before Justice Pilewski, to the following charges:
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E felony;
- Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Class E felonies; and
- Two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree, Class A misdemeanors.
On August 20, 2025, Morocho was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. Morocho also forfeited $29,700 in criminal proceeds that were seized during the execution of a search warrant at his Queens apartment. The money will be used, in part, to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes. He was represented by Robert Macedonio, Esq.
Since their arrests in October 2024, catalytic converter thefts in Suffolk County have dropped more than 90%.
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 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. Click here to view video.
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 U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Taskforce, the Nassau County Police Department, and the New York City Police Department.