Bridgeport Man Accused Of Using Fraudulent $75,000 Check To Buy BMW: Police

BRIDGEPORT, CT — An unlikely story revealed an even stranger crime after a traffic stop, according to police.

The City of Rye Police Department says that on Friday, around 6:45 p.m., officers saw a blue BMW sedan traveling south on Milton Road, without license plates.

After the vehicle was stopped at the intersection of Milton Road and Rectory Street, the driver was identified as Mikayla Lumfuakiadi, of Connecticut. She told police that the car had been recently purchased by her friend.

The passenger in the vehicle was a man who police encountered at a different traffic stop earlier in the day, where he identified himself as 24-year-old Jose Gonzales of Bridgeport, Connecticut, according to cops.

Gonzales told police that he had paid for the vehicle, but was not able to show them a bill of sale or plates for the car.

After an investigation, police say they learned that Gonzales had purchased the vehicle with a fraudulent cashier's check, while identifying himself as "Robert Hines,"with a Massachusetts driver's license.

The victim had agreed to meet with "Robert Hines," through Facebook Marketplace, in the City of Rye where the vehicle had been listed for sale.

Gonzalez admitted to providing a fraudulent check to the victim in order to purchase the BMW for $75,000, police said.

He was arrested and taken to Rye Police Department headquarters for processing.

Police say the victim had his vehicle returned to him after providing the necessary paperwork.

Gonzales was charged with felony fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property; felony fourth-degree grand larceny; two misdemeanor counts of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; and misdemeanor second-degree criminal impersonation.

He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in Rye City Court on March 31.

— By Jeff Edwards, Patch Staff