World News Flash
UNITED STATES
Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the United States executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars.
Arrests, searches, and seizures took place in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia. In total, 21 individuals in five states have been arrested and/or charged for their roles in the conspiracy.
The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments that were unsealed in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma following extensive law enforcement arrest and search operations. In addition to the indictments, over 32 search warrants were executed, and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash, and luxury vehicles.
“Amidst a rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country, the Justice Department has today carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nation-wide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”
Catalytic converters are a component of an automotive vehicle’s exhaust device that reduce the toxic gas and pollutants from a vehicle’s internal combustion engine into safe emissions. Catalytic converters use precious metals in their center, or “core”, and are regularly targeted for theft due to the high value of these metals, especially the precious metals palladium, platinum, and rhodium. Some of these precious metals are more valuable per ounce than gold and their value has been increasing in recent years. The black-market price for catalytic converters can be above $1,000 each, depending on the type of vehicle and what state it is from. They can be stolen in less than a minute.
Additionally, catalytic converters often lack unique serial numbers, VIN information, or other distinctive identification features, making them difficult to trace to their lawful owner. Thus, the theft of catalytic converters has become increasingly popular because of their value, relative ease to steal, and their lack of identifying markings.
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California returned a 40‑count indictment charging nine defendants with conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.
According to court documents, brothers Tou Sue Vang, 31, and Andrew Vang, 27, and Monica Moua, 51, all of Sacramento, California, allegedly operated an unlicensed business from their personal residence in Sacramento where they bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipped them to DG Auto Parts LLC (DG Auto) in New Jersey for processing. The Vang family allegedly sold over $38 million in stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto.
Defendants Navin Khanna, aka Lovin Khanna, 39; Tinu Khanna, aka Gagan Khanna, 35; Daniel Dolan, 44; Chi Mo, aka David Mo, 37; Wright Louis Mosley, 50; and Ishu Lakra, 24, all of New Jersey, operated DG Auto in multiple locations in New Jersey. They knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters and, through a “de-canning” process, extracted the precious metal powders from the catalytic core. DG Auto sold the precious metal powders it processed from California and elsewhere to a metal refinery for over $545 million.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Oklahoma returned a 40‑count indictment charging 13 defendants with conspiracy to receive stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.
According to court documents, together the defendants bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves on the street, then re-sold and shipped them to DG Auto in New Jersey for processing. Over the course of the conspiracy, defendant Tyler James Curtis received over $13 million in wired funds from DG Auto for the shipment of catalytic converters and received over $500,000 from Capital Cores for catalytic converters.
Defendant Adam G. Sharkey received over $45 million in wired funds from DG Auto. And defendant Martynas Macerauskas received over $6 million in payments from DG Auto for catalytic converters. In all these incidents, most of the catalytic converters sold to DG Auto were stolen, and DG Auto knew or should have known that when they paid for them.
The 13 defendants are Navin Khanna, 39, of Holmdel, New Jersey; Adam Sharkey, 26, of West Islip, New York; Robert Gary Sharkey, 57, of Babylon, New York; Tyler James Curtis, 26, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Benjamin Robert Mansour, 24, of Bixby, Oklahoma; Reiss Nicole Biby, 24, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Martynas Macerauskas, 28, of Leila Lake, Texas; Kristina McKay Macerauskas, 21, of Leila Lake, Texas; Parker Star Weavel, 25, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Shane Allen Minnick, 26, of Haskell, Oklahoma; Ryan David LaRue 29, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Brian Pate Thomas, 25, of Choteau, Oklahoma; and Michael Anthony Rhoden, 26, of Keifer, Oklahoma.
Several branches of law enforcement in New Jersey, including the FBI Office in Newark, assisted in the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
EUROPE
UK SENDS MORE MISSILES TO UKRAINE
On Nov. 9, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that the UK will shortly complete the delivery of approximately 1,000 additional surface to air missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This comes in response to Ukrainian requests for more air defense capabilities, and the missiles will play a vital role in the provision of air defense for Ukraine and the protection of its critical infrastructure which is being continually targeted by Russia.
The missiles can be used in conjunction with existing Armed Forces of Ukraine capabilities. The equipment consists of launchers and missiles and is capable of shooting down air targets, including Russian drones and cruise missiles.
“This commitment of hundreds more surface to air missiles continues our defensive support for Ukraine against Russian aggression – and will help Ukraine counter the threat from illegal targeting of critical national infrastructure,” Defense Secretary Wallace said.
The announcement comes as Defense Secretary has today visited two training sites where over 7,400 Ukrainian recruits have been trained by UK forces alongside eight partner nations.
At the sites being used for training, the Defense Secretary welcomed the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and his counterparts from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations, some of whom were able to see their own military personnel conducting the training.
Currently 1,900 Ukrainian recruits are in the UK taking part in the training program and will soon return to their home country. When they complete the training, they are provided with items including combat clothing, body armor and ear defense, waterproofs and sleeping bags.
Recruits are also issued with a fully stocked individual First Aid Kit after learning how to use tourniquets, field dressings and chest seals during training. Recruits leaving the UK will now be provided with extreme cold weather kits, announced by the Prime Minister, including 25,000 set of extreme cold weather clothing, 20,000 sleeping bags and 150 insulated tents.
The announcement comes in response to Ukrainian requests for more cold weather equipment. Ukraine’s troops continue to battle to liberate their country from Russian forces as winter rapidly approaches, when temperatures can sink to minus 20°C and below in parts of the country.
Heavy duty sleeping bags and roll mats, combined with heated accommodation and personal winter clothing, will help to prevent cold-related injuries and ensure troops can operate effectively and efficiently.
AFRICA
APPEAL MADE TO RELEASE ACTIVIST
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk on Nov. 8 appealed for Egypt to free a prominent blogger and activist whose life is in imminent danger following a seven-month hunger strike, that has escalated with the start of the COP27 climate summit being hosted there.
Alaa Abdel Fattah has been arrested many times over more than decade for his activism around violations perpetrated by the security forces and the use of military courts to try civilians.
“I urge the Government to immediately release Abdel Fattah from prison and provide him with the necessary medical treatment,” Mr. Türk said in a statement.
Mr. Abdel Fattah, 40, is a dual British and Egyptian citizen.
The pro-democracy activist was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in 2015 and released in March 2019, but arrested again that September. He was then held in pre-trial detention for two years before being sentenced in December 2021 for another five years on charges of publishing false news.
Abdel Fattah began the hunger strike in April, severely limiting his calorie intake, but stepped it up on Nov. 1. He then stopped drinking water this past Sunday, the first day of the COP27 climate action conference, which is taking place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
“Abdel Fattah is in great danger. His dry hunger strike puts his life at acute risk,” said Mr. Türk. “My Office and other UN Human Rights Mechanisms have raised Abdel Fattah’s case and the cases of other individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty and incarcerated after unfair trials on multiple occasion.”
The UN rights chief noted that the resumption of Egypt’s Presidential Pardon Committee had resulted in numerous people being released. The Committee was established in 2016 and reviews cases of prisoners held for political crimes, according to media reports.
Mr. Türk urged the authorities to fulfill their human rights obligations and immediately release all persons who have been arbitrarily detained, including those in pre-trial detention, as well as individuals who have been unfairly convicted.
“No one should be detained for exercising their basic human rights or defending those of others,” he said. “I also encourage the authorities to revise all laws that restrict civic space and curtail the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.”
SOUTH KOREA
OVER 150 KILLED IN HALLOWEEN STAMPEDE
On a day that was supposed to be about fun and celebration, a country was left with sadness and mourning.
When thousands of citizens descended upon Seoul on Oct. 29 for a Halloween spectacle, something went horribly wrong. People suddenly started running wildly, which led to a stampede that proved deadly. As of deadline, at least 156 people were killed, while 172 were injured.
So far, there is no indication as to why the crowd became so upset that people took off the way they did. This was the deadliest pedestrian event in South Korea since the Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995, which saw over 500 people killed.
INDIA
OVER 140 KILLED IN BRIDGE COLLAPSE
Not long after the tragedy in Seoul, another festive occasion turned tragic.
On Oct. 30, the Morbi pedestrian bridge in Gujarat, India reopened after it had been closed for renovations. The event was celebrated as a new beginning which coincided with Diwali and the Gujarati New Year.
On the day in question, over 500 people decided to trek across the bridge. Unfortunately, some of the pedestrians decided to carelessly sway the bridge. This caused an energetic chain reaction that caused the bridge to fail and collapse, resulting in the deaths of at least 141 people and injuries to over 100 as of deadline.
So far, nine people have been taken into custody over the collapse.
WORLD
GRAIN SHIPMENTS RESUME
The UN Secretary-General on Nov. 2 issued a statement warmly welcoming Russia’s decision to resume its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly ten million metric tons of vital foodstuffs to be shipped from Ukraine.
The UN-brokered deal which is implemented through a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in Istanbul involving Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye, was signed in July, to allow grain, oil and other foodstuffs to leave the war-torn country for markets overseas – many of which are in desperate need of food from Europe’s “breadbasket” to stave off the threat of famine.
On Oct. 29, Russia said it was suspending its cooperation and would no longer guarantee the safe passage along the agreed humanitarian corridor of ships through the Black Sea, claiming that Ukraine had launched an attack on its military vessels in Crimea.
Russia and Ukraine account for roughly 30 percent of all wheat and barley exports, a fifth of its maize, and more than half of all sunflower oil.
