Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks at a press conference in May. Raoul's office on Wednesday announced that two Aurora men have been charged with stealing catalytic converters from more than 35 privately-owned vehicles.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office charged Pedro Villegas-Mendoza, 22, and Octavio Goytia, 28, with two counts of theft greater than $10,000 and one count of aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle.Villegas-Mendoza was also charged with 38 counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and 38 counts of burglary, according to a press release from Raoul’s office. Goytia was also charged with 36 counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and 36 counts of burglary.
In documents filed with the DuPage County Circuit Court, Raoul alleges that from August 2021 through March 2022, Villegas-Mendoza and Goytia worked together to steal catalytic converters from vehicles in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, DeKalb, Lake, McHenry and Winnebago counties. A catalytic converter is a part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that filters fumes and reduces harmful car emissions, officials said. It uses elements of platinum, palladium and rhodium metals, which can be sold for profit.