Man arrested for catalytic converter ring in Brown County facing federal charges

Four Minnesota men have been indicted on federal charges for their roles in a multi-million dollar scheme to transport stolen catalytic converters across state lines.

One of those men, 41-year-old John Kotten, was arrested last November in Brown County in connection with a national catalytic converter theft ring.

The U.S. Department of Justice says street-level cutters stole the catalytic converters from vehicles throughout the state, then transferred them to Kotten and another man, who stored and transported them across state lines.

Investigators say Kotten and others concealed their actions by purchasing scrap or junk cars from auction to make it appear that they were a legitimate automotive scrapping and recycling business.