Man sentenced in thefts of catalytic converters

One of seven men charged with stealing $2 million worth of catalytic converters from more than 490 vehicles, and robbing ATMS and jewelry stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, has been sentenced to federal prison, the US Attorney’s office said Thursday.

Zachary Marshall, 26, of Springfield, was sentenced to 47 months, followed by three years of supervised release, during a hearing held Wednesday in US District Court in Boston, prosecutors said in a statement.

He had pleaded guilty in November to charges of conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property, the US attorney’s office said.

He is one of seven members of a crew from Western Massachusetts arrested last April as part of an investigation involving 70 police departments in the two states, prosecutors said.

He is the sixth member to plead guilty to charges. The thefts occurred in 2022 until April 2023, the statement said.

Another Springfield man, Santo Feliberty, 34, was sentenced last month to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release, prosecutors said in a separate statement.

Also last month, Carlos Fonseca, 33, pleaded guilty to charges to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property, prosecutors said last month. Sentencing is scheduled for June 21.

Catalytic converters, which contain platinum, are part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that helps control emissions. Thefts of the converters spiked in recent years as the value of precious metals soared.

“The stolen catalytic converters were then sold to scrap dealers who have since been charged federally for interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering in the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of California, and Northern District of Oklahoma,” prosecutors said.

The victims included businesses and individuals across Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire, prosecutors said.

“Some businesses were repeatedly targeted on multiple nights,” prosecutors said.