A Haverhill man and a Methuen woman are among eight people charged with using stolen identities to fraudulently purchase and finance late-model vehicles from dealerships in Massachusetts.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said 37-seven-year-old Alvin Rivera, of Haverhill, was charged with false representation of a Social Security number, aiding and abetting the same, aggravated identity theft, aiding and abetting the same and wire fraud. Rivera also allegedly assisted other individuals with the fraud. Forty-three-year-old Neida Lopez, of Methuen, was charged with aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Lopez allegedly used a stolen identity to obtain a credit card and accrue $21,931 in charges on that card.
According to court records, between October 2017 and January 2019, eight people visited Massachusetts car dealerships to purchase late-model vehicles and applied for 100% financing. In support of their applications, they provided stolen biographical information of real United States citizens, fraudulent Puerto Rico driver’s licenses and Social Security cards in those identities, as proof of identification. The group allegedly used the stolen identities to illegally open bank accounts, credit cards and purchase vehicles, many of which were exported out of the United States.
Others charged include one each from Lawrence and Lowell, two from Manchester, N.H., one from Union City, N.J., and one from Reading, Penn.
Besides Massachusetts, the District of New Jersey, the State of New Jersey and the Northern District of Ohio also filed charges in the scheme as part of a coordinated effort.