9 Charged In Million-Dollar NJ Car Theft Scheme

NEW JERSEY — Nine people were indicted in a multi-state scheme that used stolen identities to obtain New Jersey digital driver’s licenses, which they used to fraudulently purchase and finance vehicles and watercrafts worth over $1.3 million at dealerships in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, according to the New Jersey Attorney General.

Nine people were charged with second-degree conspiracy and other offenses.

According to the AG, the group got New Jersey digital driver’s licenses from the Jersey City and North Bergen Motor Vehicle Agencies using stolen identities of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico and fake Puerto Rico driver’s licenses, as well as other fake documents like Social Security cards, debit cards, and birth certificates.

From February 2017 through March 2019, the group is accused of fraudulently buying, financing titling and/or transferring 26 motor vehicles and three watercrafts with trailers—one boat and two jet skis—using the fraudulently obtained New Jersey driver’s licenses and the identities and credit of the victims in Puerto Rico. Ten vehicles were recovered in the U.S., but others were shipped overseas, including seven shipped to the Dominican Republic. NJMVC alerted the Attorney General’s Office after discovering that the Puerto Rico driver’s licenses that the defendants used to obtain New Jersey digital driver’s licenses were fraudulent.

“By diligently investigating cases of document fraud related to New Jersey digital driver’s licenses, we frequently uncover larger criminal schemes involving identity theft and financial fraud,” said Acting Attorney General Bruck. “In this case, we collaborated with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and federal law enforcement partners to bring these defendants to justice, pursuing evidence across five states and even overseas.”

NJMVC uses a two-pronged strategy to reduce the incidents of fraudulent documents being used to acquire New Jersey driver’s licenses. They conduct commission-wide training in advanced fraudulent document identification and assign a team of trained investigators to examine the authenticity of suspect documents. When investigators detect an increase in the appearance of certain fraudulent documents, such as counterfeit Puerto Rico driver’s licenses, NJMVC field investigators give these documents greater scrutiny as they are presented in licensing centers.

The following nine defendants were indicted by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau in Operation Export:

Reyfy Gonzalez, 33, of Cliffside Park, N.J.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Receiving Stolen Property
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (2 counts)

Taina G. Perez, 28, of Methuen, Mass.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 2nd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (9 counts)

Jose M. Irizarry, 45, of New Haven, Conn.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 2nd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (5 counts)

Ricardo Acevedo, 50, of Paterson, N.J.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 2nd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (7 counts)

Andy A. Mazara, 28, of Lawrence, Mass.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 2nd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (7 counts)

Tirson Ruiz, 51, of Lawrence, Mass.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 3rd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (4 counts)

Alvaro J. Alvarez-Capio, 46, of Lowell, Mass.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 2nd Degree Impersonation
• 3rd Degree Theft by Deception
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records or Information (8 counts)

Willie A. Samuel-Baldayaquez, 39, of Newark, N.J.

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Use of Personal Identifying Information of Another
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records (5 counts)

Guillermo Alex Cruz-Guerrero, 43, of Ohio

• 2nd Degree Conspiracy
• 2nd Degree Fencing
• 3rd Degree Tampering with Public Records (2 counts)