Six Springfield and Rogersville residents have now pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a scheme to transport tens of thousands of catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multimillion-dollar business.
Evan Marshall, 24, of Rogersville, pleaded guilty June 16 before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.
Six of the seven defendants indicted in this case have now pleaded guilty. Co-defendants Cody Ryder, 30, Enx Khoshaba, 29, Leslie Ice, 37, and Eric Kaltenbach, 37, all of Springfield, and Camren Joseph Davis, 25, of Rogersville, have pleaded guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines.
By pleading guilty today, Marshall admitted that he transported stolen catalytic converters, valued at $1 million or more, across state lines from December 2019 to October 2021. Marshall also admitted he bought tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters directly from his co-defendants and from other thieves and sold the catalytic converters for a total of approximately $1 million.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Marshall must forfeit to the government $125,651, 33 rifles, 20 scopes, six shotguns, 26 handguns, a Glock sub conversion kit, eight ammunition magazines, a 2011 Ram 3500 one-ton pickup, a 2004 Dodge Ram, a flatbed trailer, two 42-foot gooseneck flatbed trailers, a 16-foot livestock trailer, a 2021 Load N Go utility trailer, a 2007 car hauler trailer, a Volkswagen dune buggy, two Harley Davidson motorcycles, a 2012 Keystone 5th wheel camper, a Caterpillar skid steer, a 2019 Honda Talon SXS 1000 side-by-side, a 2016 Polaris RZR side-by-side, a Polaris Ranger 4×4 and 191 catalytic converters — all of which was seized by law enforcement.
Marshall must also pay the government a money judgment in an amount to be determined by the court at sentencing.
Under federal statutes, Marshall is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Each of the other six defendants is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
