$1.5M In Stolen Vehicles: Haverhill Man Admits Running Ring That Used Stolen IDs To Buy Cars

A 39-year-old Essex County man admitted to a wide-ranging scheme that involved buying cars and opening credit cards using stolen identities of US citizens living in Puerto Rico, federal authorities said. He potentially faces decades in prison.

Alvin Rivera, of Haverhill, faces decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to orchestrating a fraud ring that used fake IDs and social security numbers to buy $1.5 million in cars and open credit cards in other people's names, prosecutors said.
Photo Credit: *Unsplah/Avery Evans*

Josh Lanier

03/13/2023 7:55 p.m.

Alvin Rivera, of Haverhill, pleaded guilty Monday, March 13, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false representation of a Social Security number, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. A judge is set to sentence him in June.

Investigators said Rivera orchestrated the scheme with multiple people across the country. From October 2017 through September 2020, he had his co-conspirators go to Massachusetts car dealerships to buy late-model vehicles at 100 percent financing, the prosecutor said. The buyers would provide stolen identifications, fake Peurto Rican driver's licenses, and Social Security cards for the loan applications, authorities said. Many of the cars they bought were exported out of the United States, officials said.

The buyers would also use those fake identities to open bank accounts and credit cards.

Rivera faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge, and aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other counts, authorities said. He faces another five years for false representation of a Social Security number.

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