Four men are now facing the music after the Hollywood Police Department cracked down on an alleged Broward-based catalytic converter heist ring. On Tuesday, Hollywood officials detailed the outcome of an intensive investigation that unearthed not only a bounty of black-market car parts, but also a trove of stolen copper and materials from construction sites. According to Local 10, authorities got wind of the setups when their sweep of two metal recycling facilities revealed around $37,460 worth of stolen Florida Power & Light (FPL) copper wiring, and a handful of catalytic converters on Feb. 29.
In a series of inspections that belied a deeper vein of unlawful activity, one Advance Global Metals at 5631 Plunkett St. was the scene where the majority of the stolen goods were found. Caught in the act, owners and managers of both facilities were charged with dealing in stolen property, among other regulatory infractions reported NBC Miami. The web of violations spun includes improper payment methods and failure to maintain records necessary for legitimate operation.
Scrutiny toward these entities intensified with the discovery, on March 13, of 83 more catalytic converters bereft of accompanying documentation. This discovery, at the second shop inspected in February, affixed to the businesses a suspicious aura of noncompliance and alleged criminal intent. What culminated was the arrest of Boaz Shwarz, 51, alongside Addiel Diaz, 50, and Didiel Diaz, 44, and finally Nazmi Guerra, 44, said police.
Chanelling the weight of illicit dealings through a screen of legitimacy, the owner, Shwarz, faces a litany of charges including grand theft and flagrant noncompliance with metal recycler record-keeping, as per the report by NBC Miami. Addiel and Didiel Diaz, counting the years in the recycling game, are accused of missing registration as a secondary recycler, skirting mandated record-keeping, and violating payment protocol. Guerra could also see his day in court for similar charges related to record-keeping and payment method violations.
