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Aguilar used the victim’s social security number, a driver’s license bearing the victim’s name and other forms of personal identification to purchase a luxury vehicle from this Lexus dealership on Northern Boulevard in Long Island City.
By Forum Staff
A Bronx man will go to prison for as many as seven years for using the stolen identity of another man to buy a luxury automobile.
“The defendant wanted to drive in style—without paying the price tag,” Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan said on Thursday. “Thanks to the defendant’s greed, the victim’s credit score dropped and affected his life in devastating ways.”
Josue Aguilar, 28, stole the victim’s identity, falsely impersonated the South Carolina man, and acquired a bank loan of more than $70,000. The defendant did not make payments toward the purchase of the vehicle after taking the car into his possession.
Aguilar pleaded guilty in March to second-degree larceny and Justice Barry Kron last week handed down a three-and-a-half to seven-year sentence. Aguilar also received an additional six months in prison for failing to show up in court on May 1.
According to the charges, on April 9, 2016, Aguilar visited a Lexus dealership in Long Island City while posing as the victim. He asked to purchase a 2016 Lexus RC with packages included that boosted the sticker price of the car to over $70,000. Aguilar used the victim’s social security number, a driver’s license bearing the victim’s name and other forms of personal identification to make the purchase.
On April 11, two days after the purchase request was made, a loan was approved by JP Morgan Chase, the victim’s bank.
In the months after the sale, no monthly payments were made. Shortly after, the victim spotted the fraudulent transaction during a routine check of his credit history and reported it to the bank.
As a result of the defendant’s identity theft, the victim’s credit score dropped drastically, he was unable to secure a college loan for his son and was prevented from refinancing his house.
