By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man accused of being part of a syndicate stealing 80 catalytic converters in three months around Dandenong and Cranbourne has faced court.
Jeremy Caruana, 26, of Noble Park, sought a sentence indication at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing the exhaust-system parts from six cars in Dandenong and Keysborough in July and August 2021.
A police prosecutor told the court on 13 September that Caruana and three other men had cut catalytic converters from vehicles to be on sold for a “large profit”.
Twenty-eight victims had submitted out-of-pocket losses of more than $85,000.
Police estimated the syndicate caused almost $300,000 worth of damages to about 90 vehicles.
In what is a worldwide crime spate, stolen catalytic converters are melted down to extract precious metals platinum, palladium and rhodium, the prosecutor said.
“The precious metals are worth between $1000 and $2300 depending how much metal is in each.”
According to bank statements, the ringleader received $51,140 from the sales between January and August. He paid Caruana $5600.
Caruana was also charged with multiple speeding offences and with assisting a pink-smoke ‘gender-reveal’ burnout in an industrial estate in Cambria Road, Keysborough about noon on Saturday 10 July, 2022.
According to police, Caruana had helped prepare the vehicle’s pink tyres prior to his “close friend” dropping the burnout “surprise”.
The vehicle was owned by the friend’s pregnant partner, who was among the spectators.
The driver told police that he wouldn’t miss the gender reveal, the court heard.
He was obliged to drop the burnout due to the event being “organised and everything going into it” and that the tyres cost him $300, the court heard.
Caruana was on bail at the time.
Since his arrest on 18 August, Caruana has been remanded in custody – where he spent his recent 26th birthday.
A defence lawyer told the court that Caruana was the first of the syndicate to make admissions, saving time for prosecutors.
In his sentence indication, magistrate Greg Connellan said Caruana would be jailed – and not released until at least next year.
“It will take some persuading” that a combination sentence of up to 12 months’ jail plus a community corrections order would be suffice, he said.
“I can be persuaded but I’m not persuaded yet.”
Caruano was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 3 October.
