Man sentenced to 3 years for 35 catalytic converter thefts across northern Illinois

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — A man who stole catalytic converters from more than 35 vehicles across northern Illinois, including Winnebago County, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the sentencing of Octavio Goytia, 29, of Aurora, on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Goytia was arrested as part of a two-year investigation into catalytic converter thefts in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, DeKalb, Lake, McHenry, and Winnebago counties between August 2021 and March 2022.

Authorities said Goytia and his co-conspirator Pedro Villegas-Mendoza, 24, of Aurora, stole the devices in broad daylight by jacking up vehicles and using a saw to remove the converters.

Villegas-Mendoza was sentenced to 6 years in prison in August 2024.

Goytia pleaded guilty to aggravated attempted possession of a motor vehicle and was sentenced in Cook County court.

A catalytic converter is the part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that creates a chemical reaction that turns harmful air pollutants into less-harmful substances before they’re expelled through the muffler. 

Since 1975, all gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States have been equipped with catalytic converters to comply with federal EPA regulations.

“While a vehicle can still operate without a catalytic converter, its removal means the vehicle releases toxic gases and pollutants into the air while running,” Raoul said. “This outcome was the result of close collaboration by my office with several state’s attorneys and law enforcement agencies across eight Chicagoland counties. I remain committed to these partnerships that are helping us make our communities more safe.” 

Goytia and Villegas-Mendoza were arrested in July 2023 by detectives with the Wood Dale Police Department.