Scrap Metal Dealer Sentenced in Catalytic Converter Theft Conspiracy
Papouloglou also did not pay any taxes in 2020 or 2021.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A man from North Carolina has been sentenced to prison in connection with a multistate catalytic converter theft conspiracy.
According to a release, 45-year-old Theodore Nicholas Papouloglou, a scrap metal dealer, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison on theft and tax charges.
Court documents show he used his business, DG Auto South in Emporia, to buy stolen catalytic converters from thieves.
Papouloglou would then take the converters to co-conspirators in New Jersey so they could be shipped to Japan.
In 2020 and 2021, Papouloglou got more than $12.2 million in wired payments from the co-conspirators in New Jersey, including proceeds from the illicit sale of catalytic converters.
He spent the money he got from DG Auto South on personal expenses, such as real estate and a luxury motorcycle for a girlfriend, and gambling in Las Vegas.
Papouloglou also did not pay any taxes in 2020 or 2021.
Additionally, he separately helped the New Jersey co-conspirators to buy stolen catalytic converters from other sellers, including sellers from Texas and Oklahoma.
Papouloglou pleaded guilty to charges in August 2024 and was ordered to forfeit several vehicles, including a 2021 Ford F250, a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport, a 2017 Lamborghini Huracan, a 2020 McLaren 720s, a 2021 Mercedes-AMG G63, a 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista, a 2021 McLaren 765LT, and a 2021 Ford F450 Super Duty.
Courtesy: www.cbs19news.com
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