Family Business Turns Into $6 Million Theft Front

When it comes to grand theft auto, we imagine sleek vehicles or intricate heists. But for Vang Auto, a family-operated business in Sacramento, it was all about what lay beneath the car: catalytic converters. As of Monday, the repercussions of a shocking indictment that began unfolding in October 2022 hit the courts, with three pivotal players in the operation admitting guilt.

Brothers, Tou Sue Vang, 32, and Andrew Vang, 28, alongside their mother, Monica Moua, 58, have been entwined in what’s fast becoming one of America’s most notorious theft rings. The allegation? An audacious scheme worth $600 million, centered around the covert theft and sale of catalytic converters.

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Hidden under most U.S. vehicles, catalytic converters are unassuming but precious. Embedded with metals more valuable than gold – such as palladium, platinum, and rhodium – these components are a thief’s treasure. Case in point, in 2021 alone, rhodium was priced around a staggering $30,000 per ounce. Understandably, insurance claims for such thefts saw a 288% hike between 2020 and 2022.

The elaborate operation, now exposed by the Justice Department, wasn’t just about simple theft. It cleverly involved a tech twist – an application that could provide real-time quotes for these converters. Known as the DG Auto Pricing Application, it not only spurred thefts of high-value converters but also provided a convenient pricing guide for its black-market clientele, including Vang Auto.

Notably, Vang Auto wasn’t solely involved in the act of theft. After stockpiling stolen parts in storage facilities, they transported these converters to New Jersey’s DG Auto. This company then processed these converters, extracting and refining the precious metals. Despite the overtly criminal facade, the operation displayed impeccable professionalism, even altering pricing in tandem with the fluctuating market rates of these precious metals.

However, the audacity of this crime is not just in its scale but its operation. Vang Auto, which presented itself as an “automotive dismantler business”, was allegedly buying these stolen converters. Moreover, in a stark revelation, transactions between DG Auto and Vang Auto revealed a staggering figure of $36.1 million in wired payments over a mere two-year span.

As the law finally catches up, it’s not just about bringing perpetrators to justice but also understanding the vast landscape of such organized crimes. With 21 individuals from five states already implicated, this case has unveiled the profound intersections between technology, organized crime, and the automotive world.