WHITE PLAINS, NY — Two Bronx men pleaded guilty to ripping off a Westchester car dealership owned by Yankee great Mariano Rivera.
The pair ran a complex identity fraud scheme that allowed them to fraudulently “purchase” and take possession of vehicles, mostly high-end, at car dealerships throughout Westchester by using the personal identifying information and credit of their victims.
Specifically, Jankely Hidalgo, 29, and Jonathan Sevilla, 34, pleaded guilty to one count each of Identity Theft in the First Degree, a class D felony, for the theft of a Lexus automobile from “Ray Catena Lexus of Larchmont” in the Town of Mamaroneck.
In addition, Sevilla pleaded guilty to a second count of Identity Theft in the First Degree for an attempted theft from “Rivera Toyota” of Mount Kisco Jan. 24, 2018.
Both admitted to additional thefts of vehicles at other locations in Westchester for which they will pay restitution. Westchester County Court Judge Michael Martinelli accepted their pleas.
The two men are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21, 2018. Both face up to six years in state prison and will have judgements against them in the amounts owed to the victimized dealerships.
Jankely Hidalgo and Jonathan Sevilla took part in a fraudulent scheme to steal vehicles from dealerships in Westchester. Hidalgo supplied Sevilla with forged driver’s licenses and victims’ personal identifying information, such as social security numbers, to present himself as a legitimate buyer who wanted financing for expensive vehicles. Sevilla went into the dealerships to “purchase” these vehicles.
On Oct. 20, 2017, in the Town of Mamaroneck, Hidalgo drove Sevilla to the Ray Catena Lexus of Larchmont car dealership, where he presented himself using a victim’s identity, made a deal to finance a vehicle, and drove the vehicle off the lot without paying for it.
Prosecutors say, the ring successfully stole five cars from different Westchester County dealerships from October 2017 to February 2018.
This investigation was a collaboration among the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and a number of police departments including the Westchester County Police, Fishkill and New Rochelle police departments.
Assistant District Attorney Stefanie DeNise of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigation Division Identity Theft Unit, is prosecuting the case.
