By Forum Staff
A Whitestone, Queens, man has been charged with stealing more than a dozen catalytic converters from vehicles parked on various streets throughout Queens County between October and December this year.
Poice say Michael Cipriati,33, of 11th Avenue in Whitestone sold many of the stolen car parts to a recycling facility in the Bronx for cash.
DA Richard brown said, “With the price of scrap metal continuing to increase, mechanically inclined thieves are growing more brazen with their schemes. In this case, the defendant is alleged to have stripped vehicles of their catalytic converters while parked on various streets throughout Queens and in many instances sold the part for cash to a recycling facility, While stolen catalytic converters can reportedly fetch a thief a few hundred dollars, the cost to the car owners is much higher – in both replacing the expensive device as well as a possible jump in car insurance rates.” The DA noted that his office has focused on reducing auto and auto related crimes and has made great strides since 1991, his first year as DA. Since then he said, “the rate of vehicle thefts in Queens has plunged more than 90 percent. This accomplishment can be attributed in part to driving home this message: If you steal autos and auto parts in Queens County, you will be caught and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Cipriati was arraigned Thursday night before Queens Criminal Court Judge Toko Serita on a complaint charging him with third-degree criminal mischief, fourth-degree grand larceny, second-degree auto stripping, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. According to the criminal charges, between October 20, 2017, and December 6, 2017, the defendant removed 15 catalytic converters from various vehicles parked in neighborhoods throughout Queens. The converters were stolen from a wide range of American and foreign vehicles, including, Chevy, Ford, Mercedes and BMW.
Cipriati was observed removing the catalytic converters from vehicles and/or cell phone records revealed that the defendant’s mobile phone was in the area at the time the expensive car parts were swiped. In addition, on at least 11 of the occasions the catalytic converters were stolen, the defendant was selling the car part for that vehicle on the same day to Alpha Recycling in the Bronx. Finally, it is alleged that at the time of the defendant’s arrest, Cipriati was observed driving a Mercedes Benz while his license was suspended and two Oxycodon pills were in the defendant’s possession.
If convicted, Cipriati faces up to four years in prison.
