Bridgeport Woman Sentenced To Prison In Federal Vehicle Theft Case

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 40-year-old Bridgeport woman was sentenced this week to 14 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for her participation in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme that defrauded dozens of individuals and businesses out of more than $1 million, according to U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman.

Stephanie Perez was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven. Perez was arrested in April 2024, and in December she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.

According to court documents and statements, Perez was involved in a multistate identity theft scheme led by her husband, Tyshon Walker. Beginning in September 2020, Walker obtained personal information stolen from residents of Connecticut and other states and used it to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island for luxury and performance vehicles, motorcycles, an all-terrain vehicle, and a boat.

Once the loan was approved by the dealership using the identity theft victim’s information, Walker would send "runners" to pick up the vehicle utilizing a fictitious driver’s license that included the identity theft victim’s information and a photograph of the runner.

The fraudulently obtained vehicle was then transported back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace.

Perez helped Walker select co-conspirators, including Ryan Testa, to be runners, provided them with payment to make trips to acquire vehicles, and picked up the vehicles from the co-conspirators once they returned to Connecticut, according to prosecutors. Perez recruited and supervised Testa after two other runners involved in the scheme were arrested and charged with related offenses.

Between March and May 2023, at the direction of Perez and Walker, Testa used stolen identities to acquire at least nine vehicles with a total value of more than $500,000.

Walker and Testa have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Hopkinton (R.I.) Police Department, the Westtown – East Goshen Regional (Pa.) Police Department, and the Washington Township (N.J.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry.