SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Three Rogersville and Springfield men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a scheme to transport tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters into Mountain Home as part of a multi-million-dollar business.
Twenty-five-year-old Evan Marshall of Rogersville, 31-year-old Cody Ryder of Springfield, and 25-year-old Camren Joseph Davis of Rogersville were sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Monday.
Marshall was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court imposed a $750,000 money judgment against Marshall to be forfeited to the government; ordered Marshall to pay $19,133 in restitution to victims of the conspiracy, who law enforcement were able to identify, and forfeiture to the government of the following items seized by law enforcement: 191 catalytic converters; 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; and a Polaris Ranger 4×4.
Ryder was sentenced to two years and five months in federal prison without parole. Davis was sentenced to five years of probation. The court imposed money judgments against Ryder and Davis to forfeit to the government $125,000 each.
On June 16, Marshall plead guilty to one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. Ryder pleaded guilty on June 13 and Davis pleaded guilty on April 21 to their roles in a conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines.
Marshall admitted 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 stolen catalytic converters for a total of approximately $1 million.
According to The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, Marshall began selling the catalytic converters to an unidentified company in Mountain Home in the fall of 2019. At the time, Marshall would purchase junk vehicles and sell the vehicles’ parts, including the catalytic converters. In the late fall of 2019, the owners of the unidentified Mountain Home company asked Marshall if he would begin purchasing catalytic converters in southwest Missouri and sell to them exclusively. Marshall agreed to do so; in return, they regularly provided Marshall with cash so Marshall had the funds to purchase a higher volume of catalytic converters. They also provided Marshall with a list of “valuable” catalytic converters. By December 2019, Marshall had mostly ceased buying junk vehicles and scrapping them out for parts, and instead began purchasing already-detached catalytic converters from scrap yards and individual sellers.
By January 2020, the owners of the unidentified Mountain Home company were said to be wiring Marshall hundreds of thousands of dollars on a monthly basis so Marshall could purchase a higher volume of detached catalytic converters.
By December 2019, Marshall had also enlisted Davis to work for him and another company, which Marshall also established in December 2019. Davis’ job was to purchase catalytic converters using cash Marshall provided him. During that time period, Marshall provided Davis with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to purchase catalytic converters on Marshall’s behalf. As part of the arrangement, Davis exclusively sold the catalytic converters he purchased to Marshall. On at least one occasion, Marshall provided Davis with $40,000 in cash for the purchase of catalytic converters on Marshall’s behalf.
Davis admitted he bought at least 1,500 stolen catalytic converters from various thieves and sold them to Marshall for a total of approximately $250,000.
In February 2021, Marshall enlisted Ryder to work for him and his company. As with Davis, Ryder’s job was to purchase catalytic converters using cash Marshall provided. From February 2021 through October 2021, Marshall provided Ryder with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to purchase catalytic converters on Marshall’s behalf. As part of the arrangement, Ryder exclusively sold the catalytic converters he purchased to Marshall. On at least one occasion, Marshall provided Ryder with $10,000 in cash for the purchase of catalytic converters on Marshall’s behalf.
Ryder admitted he bought at least 1,500 stolen catalytic converters from thieves and sold them to Marshall for an aggregate amount of approximately $250,000.
Many of the catalytic converters Davis and Ryder purchased with the cash Marshall provided them were stolen, and Marshall knew at the time many of them were stolen. Marshall paid Davis and Ryder an agreed-upon percentage over their purchase price for the catalytic converters, less the amount of cash Marshall had fronted them.
From December 2019 through October 2021, in addition to utilizing Davis and Ryder as buyers of stolen catalytic converters, Marshall also purchased stolen catalytic converters directly from thieves. In July 2020, a Springfield police detective contacted Marshall regarding the purchase of catalytic converters from individuals known to be thieves. Despite being put on notice he was purchasing stolen catalytic converters, Marshall continued to purchase stolen catalytic converters, including from at least one of the individuals identified by the detective.
Marshall admitted he knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters from co-defendants Davis, Ryder, Ice, Kaltenbach, Khoshaba, and at least six other thieves. Marshall transported and sold almost all of the catalytic converters, including the stolen catalytic converters, to the owners of the Mountain Home business.
Marshall, Davis, Ryder and others loaded the catalytic converters, including the stolen catalytic converters, into bins that were placed on trailers at Marshall’s residence. They hauled the trailers, which each contained between 800 and 1,200 catalytic converters, many of which were stolen, from Rogersville to Mountain Home. Marshall transported catalytic converters from Rogersville to Mountain Home approximately every two weeks from December 2019 through October 2021.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon T. Kempf and Anthony Brown. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Webster County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Greene County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney.
KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot previously reported on the catalytic converter thefts, those stories may be found below:
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