St. Louis County Man Admits Buying Stolen Catalytic Converters

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted buying thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen catalytic converters.

Asmir Jasarevic, 33, of Lakeshire, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods. He admitted posting a solicitation on Facebook on June 9, 2021 falsely claiming to be a licensed dealer who wanted to purchase catalytic converters. Jasarevic made a “significant” number of purchases when he had direct knowledge that the catalytic converters were stolen, he admitted in his plea. He had no place of business and bought converters at his apartment or public places such as parking lots or gas stations. He kept no records, offered no receipts and paid only in cash, offering well below market value. He conducted business at night and often conducted multiple transactions with individuals who obviously didn’t have the resources to own multiple vehicles, his plea says.

After purchasing the converters, Jasarevic took them to a recycling company in Illinois. He sold just under $50,000 worth of converters to the recycling company, $20,000 of which came from stolen property, Jasarevic admitted in his plea.

Catalytic converters contain trace amounts of precious metals and have been cut off vehicles around the country by thieves.

Jasarevic is scheduled to be sentenced December 6. The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.