Providence Men Defrauded Land Rover Dealerships In RI, NH: DOJ

RHODE ISLAND — Three Providence-area men are face charges after they used stolen identities to submit online credit applications, qualifying them to purchase vehicles from Land Rover dealerships in New England, the United States Attorney's Office in Rhode Island said.

Dennis Odoom, 24, of Pawtucket, Roy Sweets, 25, of Providence, and Adalberto Mauricio Romero, 25, of Providence, are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to charging documents, dealerships in Warwick, Rhode Island, and Bedford, New Hampshire, each delivered a vehicle to a buyer who claimed to have secured more than $100,000 in online dealer financing.

An investigation determined that online credit applications were submitted using a stolen identity. The “buyer” of each vehicle took delivery after presenting a driver’s license that depicted their own photograph and the stolen identity used to secure financing.

This conspiracy started on April 25 when Odoom received a Land Rover from a Rhode Island dealer, financed for more than $120,559 with the use of a stolen identity. Then, on May 10, Sweets received a Land Rover from a New Hampshire dealership, financed for $111,183 with the use of a stolen identity.

Two days later, a person posing as the “brother” of the New Hampshire buyer attempted to take possession of a vehicle after a dealer financing application had been submitted online and approved. The delivery was halted when a dealership employee determined that the driver’s license presented by the buyer may have been altered.

Romero, 25, of Providence, was arrested by Bedford Police when he appeared at the dealership to take possession of the vehicle.

Federal arrest warrants were then issued for the three men.

Sweets and Odoom were arrested on Monday by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Romero turned himself in on Tuesday to the United States Marshals Service.

The three men were released on unsecured bond after appearing in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island.