By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Two men accused of being part of a syndicate stealing 80 catalytic converters in three months around Dandenong, Keysborough and Cranbourne have been jailed.
Jeremy Caruana, 26, of Noble Park, and Jordan Mathew Devlin, 27, were linked to some of the thefts in 2022, which caused an estimated $300,000 damage to 90 vehicles.
Caruana was charged with an array of charges including theft, hoon driving, speeding and assisting a pink-smoke ‘gender-reveal’ burnout in an industrial estate in Cambria Road, Keysborough about noon on Saturday 10 July, 2022.
Caruana was on bail at the time of the latter incident.
A police prosecutor had told the court on 13 September that four co-accused men were involved in cutting 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.
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 allegedly received $51,140 from the sales between January and August. He paid Caruana $5600.
The alleged ringleader is due to next appear in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 8 December.
Magistrate Greg Connellan said he reduced Caruana’s jail term to “very much at the bottom end” due to matters identified in a psychological report.
“You can consider yourself very fortunate not to be facing a much longer term of imprisonment.”
A Corrections Victoria assessment found a “high risk” Caruana was suitable for a community corrections order with supervision, mental health treatment and other offender programs.
Caruana was jailed for 120 days – 98 days having already been served in pre-sentence custody. It’s followed by an 18-month supervised CCO.
He was disqualified from driving for eight months.
On 10 November, Devlin was jailed for four months followed by a two-year community corrections order.
His CCO included 100 hours of unpaid work.
