District of Massachusetts | New Jersey Man Sentenced for Using Stolen Identities to Purchase Vehicles

BOSTON – A New Jersey man was sentenced today for his role in a scheme to use stolen identities to fraudulently apply for and utilize bank accounts and credit cards.

Jose Irizarry, 46, of Union City, N.J., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Jan. 6, 2023, Irizarry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number.

The Irizarry and multiple co-defendants were charged by criminal complaint in September 2020 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2020. In a coordinated multi-jurisdictional effort, Irizarry was also charged in the State of New Jersey. 

According to charging 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, Irizarry 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. He used the stolen identities to illegally open bank accounts and credit cards and purchase vehicles, many of which were exported out of the United States. Irizarry used stolen identities to obtain car loans and purchase three cars worth $140,124, collectively, although at sentencing he was held responsible for losses of between $550,000 and $1.5 million.  
    
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Woburn and Dartmouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna Nuzum and Adam Deitch of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the case. 

The District of Massachusetts investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.