Two alleged ringleaders and at least 12 of their suspected accomplices were indicted July 29 by a Washington County grand jury on dozens of counts of theft, extortion and money laundering. The investigation began in late 2021 when detectives said Tanner Lee Hellbusch, 32, of Beaverton, ran an illegal fencing business posing as a legitimate business buying and selling catalytic converters. In March, police said they busted Hellbusch with more than 100 stolen catalytic converters, worth about $80,000 on the black market. Hellbusch’s arrest led detectives to the person they believe is the ringleader of the criminal enterprise: Brennan Patrick Doyle, 32, of Lake Oswego. The investigation came to a head in late July when police searched eight locations, including a rented lakeside home in Lake Oswego, where they arrested Doyle and said they found 3,000 catalytic converters, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, a high-end car and jewelry. Doyle, Hellbush and the 12 other defendants who have not yet been named are accused of trafficking more than 44,000 stolen catalytic converters with an estimated street value of more than $22 million since January. “The defendants in this case were living a nice life,” Officer Matt Henderson, a Beaverton police spokesman, said at a news conference Thursday. Police said Doyle’s organization was capitalizing on the increased price of heavy metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium found in catalytic converters, which clean emissions and reduce pollution. Rhodium, for example, is currently valued at over $14,000 an ounce. A typical catalytic converter has only a few grams of precious metals. While an intact catalytic converter typically sells for $150 to $300 in cash on the black market, police estimate that once the metal is extracted at a refinery, it’s worth about $800. Because catalytic converters do not have identification numbers, they are not traceable. So it’s impossible to know how many of the recovered converters came from cars in Oregon, Henderson said. Police officials said the organized crime ring was centered in the Portland area, but also spanned six Oregon counties and Washington, Nevada, California, Texas and New York. The crime ring shipped large boxes of converters to the East Coast and internationally, Henderson said. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people may have been involved in the operation, he added, but declined to share more details on the ongoing investigation as detectives are still gathering evidence. “This business has generated millions of dollars worth of earnings in catalytic converters,” Henderson said. “You need an organization and a lot of people to do that.” At least 1,000 catalysts from the sting sit in evidence boxes in the Beaverton Police Department garage. Henderson said the department is looking at how to return the money from those converters to the community. Henderson said dozens of law enforcement officers from various local agencies spent thousands of hours on this case. Over the months, they constantly weighed the “risk and reward” of continuing to investigate and build a case, while Doyle and his associates reportedly continued to raise money. “They’ve gotten to a point in their investigation where they’re confident they can take down a part of the organization,” Henderson said. Beaverton Interim Police Chief Stacy Jepson said she hopes the work of investigators in her department will provide a blueprint for other law enforcement agencies locally and nationally. “Patience allowed us to break down this organism instead of just scratching the surface,” Jepson said. Court documents show Doyle was operating under a limited liability company in his own name. Doyle had no prior criminal record in Oregon. In the catalytic converter theft indictment, he is charged with 69 counts of grand larceny. Beaverton police arrested Hellbusch last summer for trespassing and he was found guilty of misdemeanor possession of a burglary tool. He has three convictions in Multnomah County in the past decade for driving while impaired and has been arrested numerous times for driving with a revoked or suspended license. Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said the investigation marks a major success in curbing “quality of life” crimes, which often “disproportionately negatively impact the economically vulnerable and historically marginalized, straining resources for both small businesses and to families”. Barton said safety comes when people live without fear: “That means feeling safe walking down the street, knowing your children will be safe when you drop them off at school, and trusting that when you park your car, you will it’s there when you come back with its catalytic converter.” — Savannah Eadens? [email protected]; 971-712-3423; @savannaheadens Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
