CT man gets prison for role in catalytic converter theft ring, possessing stolen firearm

A Hartford man who possessed a stolen gun and participated in a catalytic converter theft ring was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Wednesday, federal officials said.

Theodore Roosevelt Owens, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Owens pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to one count of unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.

Owens has been detained since his arrest.

On Oct. 21, 2021, Owens was arrested by the Vernon Police Department in a hotel parking lot on outstanding warrants, according to court reports. Shortly before his arrest, Owens was reportedly in possession of a stolen loaded 9mm pistol and around five grams of crack cocaine.

During the investigation into the firearm theft conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Windsor Police Department and East Hartford Police Department, detectives determined the firearm was reportedly part of a shipment of 50 pistols stolen from an R&L Carriers warehouse in South Windsor in August 2021, court records said.

An investigation of catalytic converter thefts, led by the ATF, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division and the East Hartford Police Department, showed that Owens participated in the theft and sale of catalytic converters, according to court records. Between Sept. 24 and Oct. 17, 2021, Owens reportedly sold $26,320 worth of catalytic converters, including converters that Owens knew were stolen, to a co-conspirator. That co-conspirator then transported the converters to other businesses, including ones in New York and New Jersey, for resale and profit.