New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to $600M Catalytic Converter Theft Ring, Faces Up to 17.5 Years in Prison

A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to leading a massive theft ring that stole catalytic converters from vehicles and sold them for over $600 million. The ring was exposed after police discovered nearly 130 converters in a truck in Oklahoma. The defendant, Navin Khanna, admitted to purchasing and transporting stolen converters from various states to New Jersey, where he resold them to a metal refinery. Khanna faces up to 17.5 years in prison and has agreed to surrender $4 million in cash and several luxury vehicles.

A New Jersey man, Navin Khanna, has pleaded guilty to leading a massive theft ring that stole catalytic converters from vehicles and sold them for over $600 million. The ring was exposed after police discovered nearly 130 converters in a truck in Oklahoma. Khanna admitted to purchasing and transporting stolen converters from various states to New Jersey, where he resold them to a metal refinery.

Khanna, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen goods in interstate commerce and five counts of money laundering. He faces up to 17.5 years in prison and has agreed to surrender $4 million in cash and several luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini, two Mercedes AMGs, two Ferraris, a McLaren, a Porsche, a Ford F650 truck, and a BMW M3 [1, 2, 3].

The theft ring took advantage of the rising demand for precious metals in catalytic converters, which are part of the exhaust systems of automobiles and contain metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium. The Justice Department stated that Khanna's scheme involved purchasing and transporting large quantities of stolen converters from Oklahoma, Texas, and other states to New Jersey, where he resold them to Dowa Metals & Mining, a subsidiary of Dowa Holdings, which is a component of the Nikkei 225 stock market index [1].

The case highlights the increasing prevalence of catalytic converter thefts nationwide, driven by the high value of the precious metals they contain. The Tulsa Police Department launched an investigation after a significant increase in thefts in Tulsa in 2020, leading to the discovery of the national criminal enterprise [2].

Khanna's sentencing will be transferred to the Eastern District of California, where he awaits further prosecution for related crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma has agreed that Khanna’s sentencing will be transferred to the Eastern District of California, where he awaits further prosecution for related crimes [3].

References:
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/guilty-plea-catalytic-convertor-theft-cars.html
[2] https://www.fox23.com/news/leader-of-national-catalytic-converter-theft-ring-pleads-guilty/article_68d357a9-024e-4e80-aebc-1a594c646d4e.html
[3] https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-national-catalytic-converter-theft-ring-pleads-guilty-and-admits-selling-stolen-goods