A 46-year-old New Jersey man pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a scheme to use the stolen identities of U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico to fraudulently purchase vehicles and other merchandise and use bank accounts and credit cards.
Jose Irizarry of Union City, N.J., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for April 6.
Haverhill, Methuen and Lawrence Police Departments were among those credited with helping to prosecute Irizarry. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston previously said the scheme involved 37-year-old Alvin Rivera of Haverhill and 43-year-old Neida Lopez of Methuen.
According to court documents, between October 2017 and January 2019, Irizarry visited Massachusetts car dealerships to purchase late-model vehicles and applied for 100% financing. In support of the applications, he provided stolen biographical information of U.S. citizens, including fraudulent Puerto Rico driver’s licenses and Social Security cards as proof of identification. Irizarry also open bank accounts and credit cards and purchase vehicles, many of which were exported out of the United States. He was charged with using stolen identities to obtain car loans and purchase three cars worth $140,124, collectively.