Lexus Dealership (Google)
May 10, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
A Bronx man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 to seven years in prison for using a stolen identity to purchase a $70,000 Lexus from a Long Island City car dealership.
Josue Aguilar, 28, was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to second degree larceny in March of this year.
Aguilar, according to the charges, entered a Lexus car dealership, located at 40-40 Northern Blvd., in April 2016 and asked to buy a 2016 Lexus RC–with added on packages–that boosted the car’s sale price to over $70,000.
Aguilar pretended to be a South Carolina man when making the purchase and used that individual’s social security number, driver’s license and other forms of personal identification to get a loan and finalize the deal.
Two days later, JPMorgan Chase approved a car loan for more than $70,000. Aguilar then signed the victim’s name on a contract committing the victim to monthly payments.
In the months following the sale, however, no payments were paid.
Soon after, the South Carolina man spotted the fraudulent transaction while doing a credit check and contacted his bank. The victim’s credit rating plummeted making it difficult to obtain a loan to send his son to college.
“The defendant wanted to drive in style – without paying the price tag,” said Acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “Thanks to the defendant’s greed, the victim’s credit score dropped and affected his life in devastating ways. As a result of the low credit rating, the victim was unable to acquire a college loan for his son, refinance his home and experienced a great deal of financial hardship. This case is a warning to everyone to always protect their personal information.”
Aguilar was given an additional six months incarceration after failing to appear for his scheduled sentencing court date on May 1 of this year.
