(Long Island, NY) On Wednesday, October 16th, 2013, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced the indictments of four men; three of the suspects involved in a scheme to rent cars at metropolitan airports using fake ID’s and credit information, and then selling the late-model rental vehicles for quick cash.
The investigation resulted in the recovery of eight vehicles the defendants rented, stole and sold to a DA office undercover detective, and two more rental vehicles were seized when search warrants were executed. District Attorney Spota said the rental scam emerged from an ongoing probe of drug trafficking in Suffolk County. Defendant Kenneth Godfrey, 47, of Holbrook, faces charges of marijuana sales and possession. The DA said the office recovered three pounds of marijuana and 50 Oxycodone pills intended for street sales during that facet of the investigation.
“These cars were sold for a fraction of their retail value,” DA Spota remarked. “Our undercover paid $2,100 for a brand new Cadillac ATS, a 2013 Dodge Durango for $3,200, and a 2012 Mercedes for $3,000. Each vehicle was rented by Felix Sanchez of Bayshore or Jose Lopez of Brentwood using a fake credit card and Connecticut driver’s license manufactured by a third defendant, 23 year old Jason Gonzalez, in his upstairs bedroom in his parents Lindenhurst house.
During the investigation, DA investigators paid approximately $22,500 for the eight rentals with a bluebook value of $245,000.
DA Spota said the alleged counterfeiter Gonzalez bought an embosser, thermal printer and other hardware on EBay to produce the phony credentials. The trio secured valid credit account information from a local retail store, part of a national chain, and they paid two or three dollars apiece for valid credit card numbers, including security code information, from an overseas website.
Most of the vehicles, Spota said, were rented “around one or 2 o’clock in the morning from Hertz, Avis, Dollar or Enterprise car rental booths in Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports”, District Attorney Spota said. 150 fake Visa, American Express and other credit cards were seized by detectives from Jason Gonzalez’s bedroom during the execution of a court-authorized search warrant. Gonzalez is free on $5,000 cash bail.
Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of Financial Services, said: “As alleged, the defendants engaged in an unscrupulous plot to sell cars they didn’t own in search of ill-gotten gains. Today’s indictment sends a strong message that we will continue to uncover and short-circuit fraud wherever we find it. DFS appreciates the opportunity to work with District Attorney Spota and his team as we aggressively pursue wrongdoing that needlessly drives up costs for all businesses and consumers.”
The investigation by the New York State Department of Financial Services was carried out by Senior Investigator James Masterson, under the direction of Deputy Chief Investigator Jerry Callahan, Assistant Chief Investigator Karen Silverstein and Director Frank Orlando and under the overall direction of Executive Deputy Superintendent Financial Frauds and Consumer Protection Division Joy Feigenbaum and Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky.
Defendant pedigree, criminal charge list
Jose A. Lopez, 11 Farrington Avenue, Bayshore, NY
- 9 counts – Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 3rd
- 2 counts – Criminal Sale of Marihuana 2nd
- 2 counts – Criminal Possession of Marihuana 3rd
- 3 counts – Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle 2nd
- 2 counts – Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd
- 1 count – Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd
- 1 count – Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd
- 1 count – Criminal Sale of Marihuana 5th
- 1 count – Unlawful Possession of Marihuana
- Defense Attorney: Robert Macedonio
Felix M. Sanchez, 161 Brook Street, Brentwood, NY
- 7 counts – Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 3rd
- 6 counts – Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle 3rd
- 4 counts – Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd
- 3 counts – Unlawful Possession of Personal Identifying Information 3rd
- Defense Attorney: Legal Aid
Jason Gonzalez, 561 North Queens Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY
- 13 counts – Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd
- 6 counts – Unlawful Possession of Personal Identifying Information 3rd
- 5 counts – Criminal Possession of a Forgery Device
- Defense Attorney: Jonathan Manley
Kenneth G. Godfrey, 11 Hollo Drive, Holbrook, NY
- 1 count – Criminal Sale of Marihuana 5th
- 1 count – Unlawful Possession of Marihuana
- 1 count – Criminal Sale of Marihuana 2nd
- 1 count – Criminal Possession of Marihuana 3rd
- Defense Attorney: Craig Fleisher
