ST. LOUIS — An East St. Louis man was sentenced Friday for his role in stealing dozens of catalytic converters in the region.
Matthew Jennings will spend nine months in prison. He was ordered to repay more than $40,000 for stealing 39 catalytic converters from vehicles across the St. Louis region.
According to a press release from the Office of the United States Attorney Eastern District of Missouri, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Jennings, 31, after he allegedly stole catalytic converters from trucks and vans. Jennings was also ordered to repay $46,001 to victims.
Beginning in December of 2019, Jennings and his co-defendant, D’Ante Carter, stole a total of 39 catalytic converters and tried to steal three more, primarily from pickup trucks and vans parked overnight, according to the release. These vehicle thefts happened on parking lots at landscaping companies, commercial businesses and an organization that helps those with disabilities.
Carter was allegedly the lookout and Jennings used a reciprocating saw to cut away the converters, which contain trace amounts of precious metals.
“The men then sold the converters to a recycling company in Illinois,” according to the release.
Carter, 38, of Florissant, was sentenced in September to nine months in prison and was also ordered to repay victims after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods, according to the release.
Jennings pleaded guilty in November to the same charge.
Less than a day ago 5 On Your Side reported that St. Louis police were on the hunt for a thief who stole a catalytic converter from under a parked vehicle in a south St. Louis Schnucks lot.
The theft happened on Monday at about 3 p.m. at the grocery store at Interstate 55 and Loughborough.
The thief was caught on camera in a viral video. He is still at-large as of Friday evening.
And in early February, a Florissant man confessed to being involved in a number of thefts across St. Louis including catalytic converters.
According to a Facebook post from the Florissant Police Department, Samuel Mudd, 24, stole catalytic converters, trailers, lawnmowers, landscaping power tool and a motor vehicle, with thefts totaling $25,000 or more, which is a Class C felony.
Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed nationwide over several years.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates these thefts spiked by 326% in 2020 and jumped another 353% in 2021.
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