Springfield man, caught up in alleged catalytic converter theft ring, indicted for 2022 murder

Catalytic converters in the back of what police said was a vehicle linked to Operation "Cut and Run." Photo by Massachusetts State Police

SPRINGFIELD — A city man federally indicted in an alleged $2 million catalytic converter theft ring earlier this year was indicted this week by a Hampden County grand jury for the 2022 murder of Geovanni Saldana.

Saldana, 30, was found facedown in a Worthington Street parking garage in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, police said. He was riddled with gunshot wounds, and the shooting appeared to happen while officers were trying to quell a large brawl with more gunfire outside the garage.

Nicolas Davila was indicted in U.S. District Court in April along with six other men, accused of stealing hundreds of catalytic converters across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Davila, 26, is being held without the right to bail at Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island while the federal case is pending.

He was indicted in Springfield on Aug. 28, according to court records.

As far as the catalytic converter caper, the alleged players were exploiting the black market for catalytic converters whose core precious metals are an illicit commodity, according to federal court records related to that case.

“Thieves steal catalytic converters from vehicles for the precious metals that the cores contain, including palladium, platinum, and rhodium. Some of these precious metals are more valuable per ounce than gold and their value has been increasing in recent years. The black-market price for certain catalytic converters can be above $1,000 each,” an 230-page affidavit drafted by Massachusetts State Police Trooper and task force member Christopher Ryan reads.

The investigation featuring federal, state and local investigators was entitled “Cut and Run,” a nod to the swift work the defendants made of the alleged thefts.

Davila was among seven Massachusetts men arrested in April, along with his brother, Rafael Davila, who somehow earned the street name “Robin Hood,” according to court records.

Nicolas Davila was charged with conspiracy to transport stolen property valued over $5,000 in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property valued over $5,000.

Davila’s arraignment in Hampden Superior Court on the murder charge has not yet been scheduled.

In 2022, there were 14 homicides in the city. This year, Springfield has seen a spike in that number, with about two dozen deaths in 2023 so far.

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