SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The United States Department of Justice says that 42-year-old Navin Khanna of Holmdel, New Jersey has pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to a nationwide theft ring involving catalytic converters.

Court documents revealed that between October of 2019 and March of 2024, Khanna, his family, and co-conspirators operated DG Auto, purchasing stolen catalytic converters from California and across the country.

Authorities say that the operation was valued at more than $600 million, leading to charges against ten New Jersey residents and three Californians.

Catalytic converter theft is on the rise due to the value of the metals inside, which can be more valuable than gold. The Department of Justice says that thieves target these car parts for resale on the black market, with some converters fetching over $1,200 each.

Khanna specifically bought over $38 million worth of stolen catalytic converters from the Sacramento area from Tou Vang and his family at Vang Auto.

Vang shipped Khanna pallets of these converters, often weighing over 1,000 pounds, containing a single type of high-value catalytic converters, ones usually seen used on the Toyota Prius.

The operation was so prolific that authorities say that Khanna used the parts code GD3‑EA6 from the stolen Prius converters as a vanity license plate on one of his McLaren sports cars.

The Department of Justice says that Tou Vang has already been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in this scheme, which included transporting stolen converters across state lines and money laundering.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, with help from multiple local law enforcement agencies from across the State of California.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría and Trial Attorney César S. Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are leading the prosecution of the case.

Khanna’s sentencing will be determined by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins at a yet to be determined date.