Pawtucket man charged with stealing catalytic converter

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Pawtucket man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with stealing a catalytic converter following his arrest by the East Providence Police on November 15, 2022.

On May 9, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Fitzpatrick Perez (age 52), by way of criminal information, with two counts of larceny over $1,500 and one count of conspiracy to commit larceny.

As alleged in the criminal information, on March 4, 2022, East Providence Police responded to a report of a stolen catalytic converter from an electrical contracting company in East Providence. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage of the theft and observed that on February 24, 2022 at around 12:15 a.m., a dark-colored sedan entered the parking lot of the business. It is alleged that the defendant then exited the vehicle, retrieved tools from the trunk, and began working under a vehicle before emerging with the catalytic converter, before driving away.

As further alleged, investigators identified the sedan as a 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and subsequently matched the type of vehicle to a sedan driven by the defendant involved in a traffic stop conducted by the Attleboro, Mass. Police Department on March 19, 2022

As alleged in the criminal information, investigators also used digital tracking information, provided through a warrant issued to Google, to place the defendant near the scene of the crime.

The defendant is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference on June 16, 2023 in Providence County Superior Court.