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Williams is facing several charges related to buying, possessing, and selling stolen catalytic converters, in addition to organized crime and corruption charges, according to court documents. According to prosecutors, at the height of the criminal operation, TDI Towing was spending approximately $10,000 each night on stolen catalytic converters. Prosecutors characterized Williams as the “king pin” of the operation, paying the so-called “cutters” for stolen catalytic converters. The investigation revealed that TDI Towing was controlled and operated by Michael Williams, 52, of Philadelphia, the DA said, adding that most of those involved in the alleged organized crime enterprise had a family connection to Williams.Ī mugshot of Michael Williams, 52, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “The tow yard was so popular with thieves that in one case, a catalytic converter was sawed off from a stolen vehicle right outside the yard.” “While TDI Towing advertised itself as operating during daytime hours, people would arrive all throughout the night to sell catalytic converters,” according to the DA’s statement. TDI employees paid an average of $300 per catalytic converter, the DA’s office said. In addition to the company, 11 people have been charged in connection with what prosecutors said was the stealing, buying and reselling of more than 25,000 stolen catalytic converters, in addition to other charges, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.Ī nearly yearlong investigation found TDI Towing had been in the business of buying catalytic converters for at least three years, and during that time they bought an average of 175 catalytic converters a week, or 27,300 during those three years, the Buck’s County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Towing company by day, criminal enterprise by night, prosecutors say

The converters, which reduce pollution and toxic gas from a vehicle’s emissions, contain valuable precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium. Prosecutors said TDI Towing purchased $8.2 million dollars’ worth of stolen catalytic converters from “cutters,” a name given to the thieves who steal them, and later resold them with an 8% markup. A Philadelphia towing company has been accused of running an organized criminal enterprise which purchased millions of dollars’ worth of stolen catalytic converters from thieves to sell at a profit, according to prosecutors.