Four men were arrested for stealing catalytic converters in Suffolk County. Two of those arrested were sentenced.
On September 3, 2024, September 25, 2024 and October 2, 2024, Oliver Morocho, 22, of Corona, Queens; Albert Espinal, 24, also of Queens; Jose Deleon, 38, and Geovanny Ortiz 37, both of Brooklyn, drove across county lines to steal catalytic converters from vehicles parked in the driveways of 13 separate homes in Suffolk County. Their actions were captured on the homeowners’ surveillance cameras, which helped law enforcement officers identify them.
Tasks were divided amongst the four of them. Morocho remained in the car as the driver of the getaway vehicle. Espinal worked to jack up the victim’s cars so that Deleon could crawl underneath with a portable reciprocating saw to cut out the catalytic converters from their undercarriages. Ortiz acted as a lookout.
A search warrant was executed at Deleon and Morocho’s residences, which resulted in the seizure of tools, cash, and other evidence of the alleged crimes.
On May 28, 2025, Espinal pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski for one count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree.
Espinal is due back in court on September 22, and he is expected to be sentenced to one to three years in prison.
On June 24, Deleon pleaded guilty before Pilewski for one count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree. Deleon was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison on July 24.
On August 18, Ortiz pleaded guilty before Pilewski for one count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree.
Ortiz is due back in court on October 15, and he is expected to be sentenced to six months in jail followed by five years of post-release supervision.
On July 11, Morocho pleaded guilty before Pilewski for one count of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and two counts of Auto Stripping in the Third Degree.
On August 20, Morocho was sentenced to 1one to three years in prison. Morocho also forfeited $29,700 in criminal proceeds that were seized during the execution of a search warrant at his Queens apartment. The money will be used, in part, to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.
Since their arrests in October 2024, catalytic converter thefts in Suffolk County have dropped more than 90%.
“The convictions of all the four perpetrators of these quality-of-life crimes demonstrate our continued commitment to investigating catalytic converter thefts and prosecuting those who steal,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. “Stealing catalytic converters on Long Island is rightfully treated as a serious felony. I want to thank our law enforcement partners in the Suffolk County Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department who collaborated in this investigation.”