by Frank Frakes
By now, you probably know several people who have had their catalytic converters stolen if you haven’t had one stolen yourself. Many in the Bay Area, have had their converters ripped off multiple times. If awards were given by criminals for the most popular item to steal, the catalytic converter would win the grand prize hands down.
It is no secret that thieves target these devices for the valuable precious metals that they contain, principally palladium, rhodium, and platinum. They drive around at night looking for easy targets. Once they spot one, they usually use a battery-powered reciprocating saw to cut out the catalytic converter. Experienced thieves can finish the job in just two to three minutes. They can then sell one anywhere from $150 to $1,500 on the black market.
Because it’s so quick and easy, thieves are rarely caught but when they are they tend to be young men with a criminal bent looking for easy money. That is until a recent catalytic converter theft ring bust by the Walnut Creek Police revealed a new demographic looking to make a quick buck.
The Walnut Creek police announced at a press conference a few weeks ago that a gang of elderly men, all over 85, and residents of a senior community, were arrested after a six-month long investigation. The men who call themselves “the Silver Cats” ranged in age from 86 to 92. According to the Walnut Creek police, the Silver Cats are responsible for at least 100 catalytic converter thefts in the East Bay but that may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Arrested were Dan Armstrong 86, the alleged ringleader, Henry Chen 88, Roberto Webb 90, and David Vargas 92. The four met at a senior community which asked us not to publish their location. According to the director, they all played chess and this is how they first met. The gang was originally charged with grand theft but charges have since been dropped.
According to a source at the senior facility, they hired high-powered attorney, Jason Myer, who found doctors to diagnose all four with dementia and the district attorney agreed to drop charges if each of the Silver Cats promised to never steal again. As part of the agreement, all four were required to submit a narrative describing what led them to a life of crime so late in their lives and the details on how they were able to get away with it for so long. The idea was to let them talk about their crimes freely without fear of incarceration. That way authorities could perhaps learn how to slow down the epidemic of catalytic converter thefts in the future.
Since they were not under a gag order, I reached out to the ringleader, Dan Armstrong, who agreed to talk to the Dragonfly Report along with the rest of the gang at the nearby Creekside Grill for lunch at 12. I arrived at the parking lot at 12 o’clock sharp, walked in the restaurant, but none of the Silver Cats were there. I thought I had been stood up, but about 10 minutes later they came strolling in with big smiles on their faces. We enjoyed a nice meal over small talk and then Armstrong ordered drinks. It was time to start the interview.
Dragonfly Report: I think the public might want to know how it all got started. Why not enjoy your retirement years playing chess and cards?
(All four laugh at the question)
Armstrong: First of all, with our social security checks, we could barely make it through the month. Add prescription drug costs and forget about going out for dinner. All four of us would always talk about what kind of business we could get into to supplement our incomes. I think it was David who brought up the subject of catalytic converter theft one night.
Vargas: Yeah. I kept reading reports about people getting their catalytic converters stolen in the news and all those posts online about it. It made me really curious. There’s got to be something behind this.
Chen: So we did some research. We learned they were easy to steal and we could sell them for a good price.
Webb: When we found out they were using reciprocating saws to cut them out, my eyes lit up. That’s a tool I have a lot of experience with. I used one all the time when I was a contractor remodeling homes.
Dragonfly Report: There’s a big difference between understanding how a crime is committed and making a decision to commit a crime yourself. None of you had a criminal record but yet you became prolific thieves at such an unusual age.
Armstrong: Hold on just a minute PeeWee. We don’t like to be called thieves. We prefer the term brigand.
(All four laugh)
Webb: That’s right. We worked hard all our lives and couldn’t even afford to go out to eat. Nobody is going to hire me at 90. I thought what do we have to lose? Let’s do this as a team.
Chen: I did feel a little bad for our victims. Most have insurance and we made sure to only scout out the most affluent parts of the Walnut Creek suburbs. They might want to think about voting for someone who will increase social security rather than try to pick away at it, if they want to prevent this from happening in the future. I hope they look at us as the chickens who came back to roost. Or should I say the Silver Cats who came for what they deserved.
(All four laugh)
Vargas: Anyway, that’s how it all started. We spent about two months researching it before we got up the courage. We looked at diagrams of catalytic converters on various cars on the Internet. We found out some Toyota Prius models were the most valuable and easiest to cut.
Dragonfly Report: Could you tell us about your first successful theft?
Armstrong: We decided to run it like a business. I nominated myself as the leader and gave each member specific tasks based on their strengths. We were all scouts though. Every Monday, we would go out on drives together or alone and identify at least 20 potential targets. On Tuesdays, we would sit down and rank each potential target on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest risk and 5 the highest. For example, if a car was on a busy street, that would be considered more risky. In the beginning, we only targeted cars with a score of 1 to minimize risk but as we got more experienced, we took more chances. Roberto had experience with saws so he was clearly our cutting guy. The problem was at 90, he was not that limber. Henry, who is pretty flexible for his age, would go under and help pull him into position. I would stand guard and keep an eye out and David would be in another car a block away. He would turn a flashlight on and off if he saw danger approaching.
Webb: It took me about seven minutes to cut out that first one. I was really nervous. Henry helped pull me out from under the car, we handed the converter to Dan and headed back to the facility. We all met in Dan’s studio and that’s where we stored it.
Dragonfly Report: Do you want to tell us where you sold the catalytic converters?
Vargas: I’m sorry but that’s a story we can’t tell. We can tell you that we had three buyers and they were very easy to sell. That first week we got three converters and made about $1200. Split four ways, that’s only $300 a piece. We had a taste of easy money but we wanted more.
Chen: I was in charge of keeping track of our profits on a spreadsheet. All I can say is that as the weeks went on, we got more and more efficient. We set goals of at least four per night. Scouting on Mondays and then Tuesdays through Fridays it was showtime. On an average, we’d get about 20 per week. We were making between four and five thousand dollars per week and could finally afford to go out for dinner and buy decent presents for our grandkids. Armstrong was the most extravagant spender among us and as the money came in, he really changed the way he dressed. I was hoping it wouldn’t draw attention to us.
Armstrong: YOLO, as the kids say. Roberto got really skillful at cutting out the converters and eventually could do it in under three minutes. He’s a real professional and we became a real team. I’m proud of these guys. I truly enjoyed the camaraderie and excitement. I felt alive again.
Dragonfly Report: Did you ever have a close call?
Vargas: One night, a husband and wife came out and asked us what we were doing. Roberto was already completely under their car and Henry was helping him get into position. Roberto said “Damn I dropped my lucky silver dollar.” Henry said, “I got it”. Luckily, the couple smiled and went back in the house. People trust old people. As soon as they went back inside, we got their converter. That was a mistake though because they saw Dan’s face.
Dragonfly Report: One more question. Are you guys done stealing catalytic converters?
They began looking at each other as if they wanted the other to respond but finally their leader spoke.
Armstrong: We are the Silver Cats and the way I understand it, we still have eight lives left.
They all laughed and lifted their glasses as did I. “To the Silver Cats,” they said three times in unison and then took healthy gulps of beer.
I picked up the bill to pay but Armstrong snatched it away from me. “This is on the Silver Cats,” he said and held up his glass again.
That was it. I got my story and was feeling good. I climbed into my Toyota Prius and put my notebook on the passenger seat. I placed my foot firmly on the brake, pushed the power button on the steering wheel, and that’s when I heard it, the loud rumbling and roaring sound that told me the Silver Cats had just pulled one over on me.
If you have had your catalytic converter stolen or know someone who has, please leave a comment below. While you are here, check out our other stories accessible through the home link.