New laws in Virginia add ‘teeth’ to punishment for catalytic converter thefts, sales

Brazen catalytic converter thefts happen throughout Virginia – on farms and at auto repair shops – not just in big cities.

Kelly’s Kitchen, a local cheesecake food truck, recently had their generator stolen while out of town. Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry reported the catalytic converter was stolen from one of their vans.

On the black market, the converters can be sold anywhere from $150 to $1,500. It can cost owners even more to replace with larger work vehicles costing thousands to replace.

Retired tobacco farmer Darrell Jackson said it happened to his farm truck that was parked at a friend’s auto repair shop in rural Henry County.

“The part we needed came in, they cranked it, and it sounded like a racecar,” he recalled. “Thieves had stolen the catalytic converter out from under it.”

Newly signed laws mean harsher penalties for those who steal, sell and buy the parts scrapped for the precious metals inside.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the bills into law that, starting July 1, expands the definition of racketeering activities, greatly increases imprisonment and fines, imposes felonies, and makes the resale of catalytic converters illegal within Virginia and across state lines.

In previous years, punishment for petit larcenies like catalytic converter thefts had weakened, said Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart) who serves Henry, Franklin and Patrick counties.

“If you steal one, you walk out with a misdemeanor and just do it again,” he said. “They’re being stolen in broad daylight – sometimes while being filmed – with no consequences. We haven’t slowed it down because there were no teeth on the punishment.”

The issue was heard at the grassroots level long before it made its way to the governor’s desk.

“While the implications of the bill encompass more than stealing catalytic converters, it was brought forward by a Farm Bureau leader because the theft of these items is rampant in many parts of the Commonwealth,” said Martha Moore, senior vice president of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation governmental relations.