The police departments of Bensalem, Lower Southampton and numerous other townships recently assisted in the dismantling of an organized criminal ring that made millions from catalytic converter thefts.
“I think this is an incredible demonstration of what we can accomplish when we all work together, and it does take an incredible amount of effort,” said Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub during a news conference.
For three years, beginning in 2020, thousands of catalytic converters were stolen out of Bucks County, costing consumers millions of dollars in damages and repairs. The average cost to repair a stolen catalytic converter is around $2,000. Because of the prevalence of thefts, law enforcement began to focus not only on individual thieves, or “cutters,” but the organizations and businesses purchasing the stolen catalytic converters.
During this nearly year-long investigation, led by detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, TDI Towing, 2335 Wheatsheaf Lane, Philadelphia, was identified as the main buyer of catalytic converters stolen in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
At its peak, TDI Towing was paying a minimum of $10,000 a night to thieves coming to the tow yard to sell the stolen parts. Some nights saw upwards of 30 transactions, with a few thieves showing up numerous times. On one occasion, a catalytic converter was sawed off from a stolen vehicle right outside the yard.
Detectives and assisting law enforcement conducted thousands of hours of surveillance at TDI Towing, conducted controlled sales at the tow yard and used other advanced investigative techniques to identify thieves and purchasers of the stolen goods.
The investigation found that TDI Towing was in the business of buying catalytic converters for at least three years, during which time it bought an average of 175 catalytic converters a week, or 27,300 during those three years. TDI employees paid an average of $300 per catalytic converter, for a total of nearly $8.2 million in three years.
TDI Towing was operated by Michael Williams, 52, of Philadelphia, with most of the organization having some family connection to him. Employees at the tow yard included his sister-in-law Lisa Davalos, 47, of Philadelphia; Eric Simpson, 41, of Philadelphia; Michael Bruce, 30, of Sewell, New Jersey; Kevin Schwartz, 33, of Philadelphia; Patrick Hopkins, 24, of Philadelphia; and a 17-year-old juvenile. Every week, sometimes more, Williams took the catalytic converters from TDI Towing for resale and profit at another location. Most trips saw him take about 50 catalytic converters.
The catalytic converter thieves, known as “cutters,” included Michael Evangelist, 35, of Philadelphia; Anthony Davalos Sr., 43, of Philadelphia; Richard Allan Page, 39, of Warminster; and Gary Shirley, 48, of Hatboro. Bucks County detectives are attempting to locate Page, who is missing fingers on his left hand. If anyone has seen him, contact detectives at 215-348-6354 or bucksda.org. There are several individuals who have yet to be identified. While this case is being closed by presentment, the investigation will remain ongoing and additional persons may be charged for their involvement.
TDI Towing was registered with the state as Diversified Towing & Recovery Inc., but was also listed in business documents as TDI Inc. and Tow Decisions. TDI Towing and its employees were charged with corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft by unlawful taking, theft of catalytic converter, theft by receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal use of a communication facility.
Williams and TDI Towing are charged with an additional count of corrupt organizations, as they controlled the enterprise. According to Weintraub, Williams has been cooperating with the investigation, and waived his preliminary hearing that was set for last Wednesday.
Simpson, a “cutter” when he wasn’t working at the tow yard, was also charged with three additional counts of theft by unlawful taking, theft of catalytic converter, theft by receiving stolen property and one count of fleeing or attempting to elude police. He had several open warrants for catalytic converter thefts in Bucks County and would always flee back to Philadelphia when police attempted to stop him.
Evangelist, Page and Shirley are charged with one count each of criminal conspiracy and possession of an instrument of crime, and multiple counts of theft by unlawful taking, theft of catalytic converter and theft by receiving stolen property.
Anthony Davalos was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count each of criminal conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, theft of catalytic converter, theft by receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime, fleeing or attempting to elude police, recklessly endangering another person and simple assault. He had been wanted after he was convicted of stealing 22 catalytic converters and failed to appear for sentencing.
While on the run, he attempted to run down a Lower Southampton detective, who tried to stop Davalos from stealing another catalytic converter. This incident occurred on the afternoon of June 16, 2021, when a detective on routine patrol came across a catalytic converter theft in progress at a Street Road shopping center. When the detective ordered Davalos and another man who was with him to stop, they drove at the detective, crashed into a parked car and fled the scene. Police later identified the driver as Davalos, who previously worked at TDI Towing, but was let go because Williams wanted to avoid unwanted attention from law enforcement.
Charges for the individuals involved in this criminal organization were recommended by the Bucks County 20th Investigating Grand Jury and approved by Supervising Judge Raymond F. McHugh.
Three dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in Bucks County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Philadelphia and New Jersey took part in this collaborative investigation.
Though these criminals have been apprehended, catalytic converter theft is still a rampant issue across the country because of the money the part can fetch at scrap yards.
Catalytic converters — pollution mitigation devices attached to the bottom of vehicles — contain rare and precious metals that can be broken down and harvested. The market prices for the three main metals in catalytic converters (rhodium, platinum and palladium) increased dramatically during the pandemic because of supply chain issues. Often, catalytic converters can be stolen in about a minute, even in broad daylight.
Weintraub urged residents with stolen catalytic converters to contact their local law enforcement as soon as possible. This data, he said, will be useful in catching more thieves: “My call to action is, in order for us to be able to actualize this information, we need you to make these police reports.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
