November 2023

Feds: $21M theft ring with national reach had ties to Sleepy Eye

Federal prosecutors describe a Sleepy Eye native as playing a major role in an alleged $21 million catalytic converter theft ring and say a local property of his was used in the scheme, according to their indictment.John Charles Kotten, 41, is accused of amassing the auto parts from street-level thieves – knowing they were stolen – and then personally transporting loads of them from Minnesota in rented U-Hauls to high-volume buyers in other states, often on the East Coast, for payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Read MoreFeds: $21M theft ring with national reach had ties to Sleepy Eye