Seven Area Residents Indicted for Conspiracy to Transport Stolen Catalytic Converters Across State Lines
Thousands of Catalytic Converters Stolen as Part of a Multi-Million-Dollar Business
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Seven Rogersville, Missouri, and Springfield, Mo., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to transport thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business.
The federal indictment charges all seven defendants with participating in a conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines from Dec. 12, 2019, to Oct. 15, 2021.
Evan Marshall, 24, and Camren Davis, 24, both of Rogersville, and Cody Ryder, 30, Leslie Ice, 37, his wife, Danielle Ice, 33, Eric Kaltenbach, 37, and Enx Khoshaba, 29, all of Springfield, were charged in a four-count superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The superseding indictment replaces the indictment returned against Marshall on Nov. 17, 2021, and includes additional charges and defendants. The superseding indictment was unsealed and made public today.
Catalytic converters, which are exhaust emission control devices mandated for all cars and trucks, contain metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium that can be recycled. According to the indictment, Marshall bought junk vehicles and scrapped them out for several years prior to 2019, when he started a company to provide the appearance of a legitimate business for his purchase, transportation, and sale of stolen catalytic converters.
On July 5, 2021, Marshall allegedly purchased stolen catalytic converters from an undercover agent and paid $1,030.
On Oct. 15, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Marshall’s residence and seized 67 firearms and $125,000 in cash. The prior evening or morning of the search, however, Marshall learned of the impending law enforcement action and moved 197 catalytic converters from his residence to another location in order to conceal the catalytic converters from law enforcement.
Marshall has remained in federal custody without bond since his arrest on the original criminal complaint, which was filed on Oct. 20, 2021.
According to the indictment, Davis and Ryder worked for Marshall and allegedly bought stolen catalytic converters on Marshall’s behalf. In February 2021, Davis started a new company, referred to in the indictment as Company E, which purchased and sold automotive cores, including catalytic converters.
The indictment alleges that Leslie Ice, Danielle Ice, Kaltenbach, Khoshaba, and others stole catalytic converters from vehicles in the Springfield area and elsewhere, and sold the stolen catalytic converters to Marshall, Davis, or Ryder.
In addition to the conspiracy, Marshall and Davis each are charged with one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. Marshall is also charged with one count of possessing an unregistered firearm, a Springfield .410-gauge short-barrel shotgun with no serial number that was seized by law enforcement officers during their search of his residence.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 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.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
