A brazen scheme to use stolen identities to lease and purchase vehicles and motorcycles has landed a former Danbury resident in hot water. Domingo St. Hilaire Rosario, 57, has pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft offenses stemming from his involvement in the scheme, which targeted dealerships in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Rosario conspired with Jamie Pinto and another individual to use stolen identities to obtain vehicles and motorcycles. The scheme involved Rosario arranging for a car or motorcycle to be purchased or leased from a dealership in the name of an identity theft victim, with Pinto or another co-conspirator impersonating the victim at the dealership to complete the paperwork.
Rosario supplied his co-conspirators with fraudulent identification documents bearing the victim’s personal identifying information, as well as a fraudulent photo identification that contained the identifying information of the victim and a photograph of a co-conspirator. Rosario intended to sell or export the vehicles, which he and his co-conspirators acquired through the scheme.
Through this scheme, Rosario and his co-conspirators acquired at least 13 vehicles and attempted to acquire at least two more. Some of the vehicles were recovered by law enforcement and returned to the dealers.
Rosario was stopped by the New Jersey State Police in July 2018 while driving a Chevrolet Silverado that had been obtained through the fraud from a dealership in Vernon, Connecticut. He fled to the Dominican Republic following the encounter, but was extradited in May 2020 and is currently detained.
Rosario pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years. He has agreed to pay $220,589.19 in restitution and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on September 8, 2021.
Pinto, 44, last residing in Manchester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and identity theft offenses on March 20, 2019, and is also detained while awaiting sentencing.
The investigation is being led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with substantial assistance from the Vernon Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala V. Nagala.
Related Federal Cases
- Anthony C. Innarella, Bank Fraud and Identity Theft, Connecticut 2017 · Massachusetts
- Derrell Lee, Identity Theft, New Jersey 2023 · Washington
- Identity Theft Ring Busted in RI · Washington
- Letitia James Demands ICE Identity Disclosure, New York, 2023 · Washington
- Angel L. Morales, ID Theft and Bank Fraud, NY 2024 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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