Illinois man pleads guilty for role in multi-county catalytic converter theft ring

An Illinois man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison for his role in a multi-county theft ring that police said was responsible for stealing dozens of catalytic converters from vehicles.

Stewart Hinton IV, 37, pleaded guilty racketeering, theft and conspiracy offenses in connection with allegations he and four others operated a crime ring between November 2022 through January in Allegheny, Fayette and Westmoreland counties.

Authorities said the group was responsible for the catalytic converter thefts from parked vehicles in Moon, Uniontown and North Huntingdon.

According to court records, Hinton was among the five people who traveled from the Chicago area, rented a car and moved throughout western Pennsylvania to steal the devices that serve as a component of a vehicle’s emissions control system to reduce the amount of pollution emitted from the tailpipe. Officials said it costs about $1,500 each to replace the devices, which contain precious metals that can be sold to dealers on the black market.

Catalytic converters are made of materials including platinum, palladium and rhodium and can fetch large sums at scrap yards that accept them.

Hinton was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to serve three to 10 years in prison, and along with the four others charged as participating in the theft ring, was ordered to pay more than $316,000 in restitution to Jim Shorkey Mitsubishi dealerships in Moon, North Huntingdon and Uniontown as well as owners of tow trucks that were apart of a secondary operation, according to police.

“Mr. Hinton was willing to accept responsibility and plead guilty, which included a significant state sentence as well as being ordered to pay restitution. His plea does not impact the prosecution of the other co-defendants moving forward,” according to a statement released Friday by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.

Charges are pending against four others charged with the catalytic converter thefts: Christian Buie, 33; Harold T. Wade, 30; Antonio Dewayne Johnson, 36, and Maria D. Padilla, 38, all of Chicago.