SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former Springfield lady pleaded responsible in federal courtroom Aug. 16 to her function in a conspiracy to move tens of hundreds of stolen catalytic converters throughout state traces as a part of a multi-million-dollar enterprise, following a Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), joint regulation enforcement companions investigation. Danielle Ice, 34, of Columbia, pleaded responsible earlier than U.S. District Decide M. Douglas Harpool to collaborating in a conspiracy to move stolen property throughout state traces.
Ice is the final of seven defendants indicted on this case to plead responsible. Ice’s husband and co-defendant Leslie Ice, 37, in addition to co-defendants Cody Ryder, 31, Enx Khoshaba, 29, and Eric Kaltenbach, 37, all of Springfield, and Evan Marshall, 24, and Camren Joseph Davis, 25, of Rogersville, have additionally pleaded responsible.
By pleading responsible, Danielle admitted that she and Leslie stole not less than 50 catalytic converters and offered them on to Marshall. Marshall paid Danielle and Leslie roughly $20,000 for stolen catalytic converters.
The Ice’s started stealing catalytic converters for Marshall in October 2020 and continued stealing catalytic converters and promoting them to Marshall by means of not less than March 2021. They photographed the victims’ catalytic converters whereas the catalytic converters have been nonetheless hooked up to the victims’ automobiles and despatched the images by way of SMS textual content message to Marshall. Marshall would then decide whether or not the victims’ catalytic converters have been priceless. If Marshall responded {that a} catalytic converter was priceless, Leslie eliminated the sufferer’s catalytic converter by reducing it from the sufferer’s automobile’s exhaust system utilizing a battery-powered reciprocating noticed. Leslie and Danielle then offered the stolen catalytic converter to Marshall.
Marshall offered Leslie with an inventory of automobiles, by yr, make, and mannequin, that had priceless catalytic converters in order that he might goal particular automobiles from which to steal catalytic converters.
Marshall additionally gave Danielle roughly $1,500 in money in January 2021 so she might submit Leslie’s bond in a state legal case through which he was being detained. Marshall offered Leslie’s bond cash so he can be launched from custody and will proceed to steal catalytic converters and promote them to Marshall.
Marshall admitted that he transported stolen catalytic converters, valued at $1 million or extra, throughout state traces from December 2019 to October 2021. Marshall additionally admitted that he purchased tens of hundreds of stolen catalytic converters straight from his co-defendants and from different thieves and offered the stolen catalytic converters for a complete of roughly $1 million.
Below federal statutes, Danielle is topic to a sentence of as much as 5 years in federal jail with out parole. The utmost statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is offered right here for informational functions, because the sentencing of the defendant might be decided by the courtroom primarily based on the advisory sentencing tips and different statutory components. A sentencing listening to might be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the USA Probation Workplace.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon T. Kempf and Megan W. Chalifoux. It was investigated by HSI, the Springfield Police Division, IRS-Felony Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Freeway Patrol, the Christian County Sheriff’s Division, the Webster County Sheriff’s Division, the Missouri Division of Income, and the Greene County Prosecuting Legal professional.
Be taught extra about HSI’s mission to fight property theft in your neighborhood on Twitter @HSIKansasCity.
This effort is a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level legal organizations that threaten the USA utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency method.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), liable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these legal organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by means of which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 workers consists of greater than 6,800 particular brokers assigned to 225 cities all through the USA, and 86 abroad places in 55 international locations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative regulation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. regulation enforcement.