Group Accused Of Scheme To Illegally Buy Vehicles, Watercrafts

CLEVELAND — Seven people have been accused of buying vehicles and watercrafts using fake identity documents, the Department of Justice announced.

The accused come from the Dominican Republic, New Jersey and elsewhere, but purchased the vehicles from dealerships in Northeast Ohio, prosecutors announced. Charges against the group were unsealed on Thursday.

“These defendants allegedly attempted to profit off of the stolen identities of U.S. citizens by purchasing various motor vehicles and watercrafts at Ohio dealerships and then, in some cases, proceeded to ship the vehicles out of the state and country,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said.

From January 2017 through July 2019, the group orchestrated a scheme to obtain actual Ohio Driver licenses from the Ohio BMV, using stolen identification documents, according to the unsealed court documents.

Using the stolen documents, the group obtained fraudulent credit cards and setup bank accounts, prosecutors said. The accused then visited dealerships throughout northern Ohio to buy late-model cars and jet skis. They used 100-percent financed loans to make the purchases, prosecutors said.

To support their purchases, the group used the actual information of real U.S. citizens, along with fake Puerto Rico driver's licenses and social security cards, court documents said. After purchasing the vehicles, the group shipped their goods to New Jersey and out of the U.S., prosecutors said.

"These defendants victimized individuals and financial institutions with their selfish greed,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “Victims had their identities stolen and used for lavish purchases. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure fraudsters, no matter where they reside, are held accountable."

Law enforcement officials said they have identified at least 70 vehicles which were purchased throughout the life of the scheme. Prosecutors estimated the total value of the vehicles at $3,750,268.

The following people were named in the court documents:

• Guillermo Alexander Cruz-Guerrero, age 38, of Dominican Republic. Currently in federal custody in Ohio.
• Carmen Teresa Cabrera, age 29, of Haskel, New Jersey. Currently in custody New Jersey
• Reyfy Gonzalez, age 31, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey. Currently in custody New Jersey
• Andy Arleny Mazara-Garcia, age 29, currently in state custody in Massachusetts
• Willie Antonio Samuel-Baldayaquz, age 38, currently in custody in Connecticut

The following defendants remain at large:

• Rene Guzman-Aquino, age 36, of Puerto Rico
• Julio Fernando Valdez-Pimentel, age 27, of Pennsylvania