PROVIDENCE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Rhode Island), published as received.
PROVIDENCE – Three Rhode Island men are charged in federal court in Providence with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for their alleged participation in schemes to defraud Land Rover dealerships in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
According to the charging documents, dealerships in Warwick, RI, and Bedford, NH, each delivered a vehicle to a buyer who claimed to have secured more than $100,000 in online dealer financing. In each instance, 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.
It is alleged that on April 25, 2022, Dennis Odoom, 24, of Pawtucket, took custody of a Land Rover from a Rhode Island dealer, financed for more than $120,559 with the use of a stolen identity; and on May 10, 2022, Roy Sweets, 25, of Providence, took custody of a Land Rover from a New Hampshire dealership, financed for $111,183 with the use of a stolen identity. It is further alleged that two days after the delivery in New Hampshire, 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. Adalberto Mauricio Romero, 25, of Providence, was arrested by Bedford, NH, Police when he appeared at the dealership to take possession of the vehicle.
Federal arrest warrants were later issued for the three men. Roy Sweets and Dennis Odoom were arrested on Monday by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Adalberto Mauricio 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.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., and William J. Ferland.
The matter was investigated by Warwick, RI, and Bedford, NH, Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, and Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
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