East Hartford man pleads guilty to trafficking stolen catalytic converters

Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 12—An East Hartford man pleaded guilty this week to federal crimes related to his involvement in a ring that bought catalytic converters stolen from vehicles and resold them to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.

Bryant Bermudez, 31, faces a recommended prison sentence between 57 and 71 months — 4 3/4 to almost six years — under federal guidelines, according to his written plea agreement.

But both sides reserve the right to argue for a sentence outside that range when Judge Sarala V. Nagala imposes sentence July 12 in U.S. District Court in Hartford.

Bermudez pleaded guilty Monday before Nagala to conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines and three counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.

Bermudez helped manage Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC, which had a warehouse on Park Avenue in East Hartford. He started working there in November 2021 and was indicted on the federal charges less than a year later, in August 2022.

Charged along with him in the case is Alexander Kolitsas, 28, of Wolcott, identified in the indictment as the owner of Downpipe Depot. The charges against Kolitsas remain pending, online federal court records show.

Bermudez remains free on $150,000 bond pending sentencing, according to Avery's statement. Kolitsas is also free on $150,000 bond, online court records show.

"At Downpipe Depot, Bermudez and a co-conspirator purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves, with some of the transactions occurring late at night, and then transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey," Avery wrote in her statement.

"On at least a bi-weekly basis, Bermudez or a co-conspirator transported van loads of catalytic converters to New York or New Jersey," the prosecutor continued. "Some of the trips yielded payments in excess of $200,000."

The indictment accuses Kolitsas and Bermudez of keeping guns at Kolitsas' home and the warehouse to protect their inventory and the cash they received when they sold the converters.

Kolitsas is charged with possessing a firearm illegally because he was a user of illegal drugs — or addicted to them.

But Bermudez wasn't charged with any firearms offense. The allegation that he kept firearms for protection of Downpipe Depot's inventory and cash was part of the conspiracy count to which he pleaded guilty.

Catalytic converters reduce pollutants in vehicle exhaust by converting pollutants to carbon dioxide and water through a chemical reaction that is often catalyzed by a precious metal, according to the indictment.

Because these metals are currently selling for high prices, the August 2022 indictment says, "the average scrap price for catalytic converters currently varies between $300 and $1,500, depending on the model and type of precious metal component."

In addition to Kolitsas and Bermudez, three other men were charged in the indictment, which alleges that they were "suppliers" of catalytic converters to Downpipe Depot, although it says they weren't the only ones.

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