RALEIGH, N.C.— A Raleigh man has been sentenced to more than four years for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Basilio Rafael Garcia, a resident of Raleigh, was sentenced to 54-months in prison, along with three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges May 11, 2023.
According to court records, Garcia conspired with partners in the transfer, possession, and use of personal information belonging to Puerto Rico residents. Garcia and his partners wanted to secure over $1 million worth of vehicles and watercraft from dealerships located in the eastern and middle districts of North Carolina.
“This defendant ran a scam to buy high-end luxury cars using other people’s credit. He was driven by greed and greed alone.” said Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, in a news release.
A joint investigation conducted by the United States Secret Service and local law enforcement found Garcia traveled from Raleigh to Columbia, South Carolina and used stolen personal information from a Puerto Rican victim to obtain a South Carolina identification card.
The next day, Garcia used the victim’s identity to finance the purchase of a Honda dirt bike from a Wake Forest dealership. Garcia used the same victim’s identity to finance several vehicles in the Raleigh and Durham areas, including two Jeep Wranglers, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a BMW X5, and a Range Rover.
“Identity theft like this can leave victims with ruined credit and dire financial straits.” said Easley.
During a search warrant executed at Garcia’s residence, officers recovered driver’s licenses, birth certificates, passports, Social Security cards, and vehicle titles, all registered under the names of various individuals.
“We are prosecuting the fraudsters and reminding consumers to protect themselves by securing personal identifying information and monitoring credit reports regularly for suspicious activity.” said Easley.
Two of Garcia’s partners, Jarlin Javier Sanchez and Warlin Mateo-Tejeda, had previously received prison sentences after pleading guilty.