Leader of Catalytic Converter Theft Crew Sentenced to Decade in Prison

BOSTON – The leader of a regional organized theft crew, who orchestrated the thefts of catalytic converters from nearly 500 vehicles across the region, multiple jewelry store robberies and the stealing of ATMs was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston. A precipitous decline in catalytic converter thefts has been reported in Massachusetts as a result of the takedown – with nine reported incidents of catalytic converter theft over the past 18 months following the arrests, in comparison to the hundreds of thefts reported during the nine-month period prior.

Rafael Davila, a/k/a “Robbin Hood,” 36, of Springfield, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Davila was also ordered to pay restitution of approximately $157,000 and complete 75 hours of community service at a food pantry. Additionally, Davila was ordered to forfeit a significant number of assets – including a Chevrolet Suburban, an Acura MDX, two motorcycles, six dirt bikes and two jet skis – that were acquired with proceeds of the offenses to which he pleaded guilty or were involved in the money laundering conspiracy. In April 2024, Davila pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce; interstate transportation of stolen property; conspiracy commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank theft; and bank theft.

In April 2023, Rafael Davila was arrested and charged along with six others in connection with the theft, transportation and sale of stolen catalytic converters taken from nearly 500 vehicles across Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2022 through April 2023. It is believed that a significant number of additional thefts have not been identified or were never reported to law enforcement.

“Targeting over 400 vehicles across more than 100 different communities in Massachusetts and surrounding states, Mr. Davila’s criminal enterprise wreaked havoc for hundreds of innocent people.  Each victim suffered thousands of dollars in losses as a result of these thefts, on top missed personal appointments, disruption of business and unnecessary stress. Mr. Davila and his crew were equally opportunity thieves – they stole from the elderly, single parents, and even a food pantry – impacting needy families who are struggling to get food on their tables. Their conduct was simply deplorable and deserving of serious punishment,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This case directly resulted in a very sharp decline in catalytic converter thefts across the region. Only nine catalytic thefts have been reported in the past 18 months since Mr. Davila and his crew were apprehended. I want to commend the exceptional investigative work by our partners at the Massachusetts State Police and the more than 70 local police departments across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Thanks to their dedicated and collaborative work, the public is safer and the self-proclaimed Robbin Hood is now behind bars where he belongs – unable to wreak his havoc on the innocent people of Massachusetts.”

“Career criminal Rafael Davila earned his keep by leading the most prolific catalytic converter theft ring in the region that raked in millions of dollars in profits, stole ATMs, and burglarized jewelry stores – all of which is the antithesis of an honest day’s work. His actions inflicted serious financial harm and significant stress on hundreds of innocent victims and the community alike, and it’s gratifying to finally see him being sent to prison,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Davila and his crew now know that the FBI is just as committed to eradicating organized crime as they are to embracing it. Thanks to the hard work and due diligence of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Operation Cut and Run decimated this large-scale, multi-state property theft ring responsible for the rampant theft of catalytic converters in our region.”

“The Massachusetts State Police work closely with our public safety partners to address crime affecting the quality of life for residents and causing tremendous economic losses for business across the region,” said Colonel John E. Mawn of the Massachusetts State Police. “This investigation illustrates the impact of the Massachusetts CrimeNet Program and the Commonwealth Fusion Center to analyze crime trends across local jurisdictions and determine the full extent of criminal enterprises. Our investigators worked diligently to bring this case to fruition and we are grateful to our federal partners for their collaboration and their successful prosecution of this case.”

“The National Insurance Crime Bureau is grateful for all those who worked tirelessly to bring this case to a successful final disposition. The collaborative efforts in pursuing those responsible has created a rippling effect literally ending catalytic converter theft which had victimized so many throughout New England,” said Kevin Gallagher, Director of Operations for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Northeast Region.

Catalytic converter theft has become a nationwide problem due to the high-valued precious metals they contain – some of which are more valuable than gold, with black-market prices being more than $1,000 each in recent years. The theft of a vehicle’s catalytic converter results in damage that renders the vehicle inoperable – both mechanically and legally under EPA regulations – until properly replaced.

The crew was led by Davila, who engaged in catalytic converter thefts and burglaries on a full-time basis – committing thefts multiple nights per week for upwards of eight hours a night. Davila was responsible for the planning of and transportation to each targeted theft – using his vehicle, determining price values for stolen converters and purchasing needed materials. Davila maintained meticulous notes accounting for the locations that he and his co-conspirators had targeted and the number of catalytic converters that had been stolen, including the makes and models and when they were dropped off for sale.

The thefts resulted in losses of approximately $5,000 per vehicle with certain trucks costing over $10,000 to repair. This amounts to an approximate $2 million in losses suffered by more than 300 separate victims who were forced to deal with their vehicles being disabled for potentially weeks on end. The more than 300 victims included businesses and individuals across Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire, including a food pantry, automotive businesses, tradesmen, a bakery, single parents, a home healthcare provider and the elderly. Some businesses were repeatedly targeted on multiple nights.

Once in possession of the stolen catalytic converters, the crew would then sell them to Jose Torres, who would accumulate stolen catalytic converters from multiple theft crews and then in turn sell them to scrap dealers – handling approximately $30,000 to $80,000 in stolen catalytic converter sales per week. Torres then sold stolen catalytic converters 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. Rafael Davila admitted to conspiring with Torres in stolen catalytic converter sales.

Davila also successfully applied for food stamps while committing the thefts, lying under oath about his income and bank account balances, while he owned six motorcycles, two jet skis, three vehicles and luxury jewelry.

In addition to the catalytic converter thefts, Davila admitted to conspiring to steal from ATMs of federally insured banks in Massachusetts on three separate occasions in December 2022. This conspiracy involved the use of stolen trucks and chains to rip the ATMs from the ground and gain access to the vault.

Rafael Davila also admitted to committing burglaries at two New Hampshire jewelry stores on Jan. 12, 2023, and the theft of a trailer on Dec. 14, 2022. Davila broke into the stores by smashing the glass doors and jewelry cases and stealing the jewelry. The combined total value of the jewelry stolen during the burglaries was determined to be over $137,000, with each store facing approximately $10,000 in costs to repair damage.

Rafael Davila is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in the case. In April 2024, Zachary Marshall was sentenced to 47 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2024, Santo Feliberty was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Also in March 2024, Rafael Davila’s brother, Nicolas Davila, was sentenced to 37 months in prison and five years’ supervised release. The three remaining co-defendants, Carlos Fonseca, Alex Oyola and Jose Torres, have each pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; FBI SAC Cohen; MSP Colonel Mawn; and NICB Director Gallagher made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office; and the New England State Police Information Network. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case.

Over 70 local police departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut contributed to this investigation through the submission of their investigations of catalytic converter thefts in their jurisdiction. The following Massachusetts police departments contributed to the investigation: Abington, Acton, Andover, Auburn, Bedford, Bellingham, Beverly, Billerica, Burlington, Bridgewater, Canton, Carver, Chelmsford, Concord, Cranston, East Hampton, Easton, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Hampton, Hanover, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Ipswich, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Mansfield, Medford, Marlborough, Methuen, Middleton, Milford, Millbury, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Norwell, Norwood, Peabody, Pembroke, Plymouth, Randolph, Rockland, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Springfield, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Tyngsborough, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, West Bridgewater, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn and Worcester. The New Hampshire police departments contributing to the investigation were Bow, Concord, Derry, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Salem and Windham. The South Windsor and Windsor Connecticut Police Departments also contributed.