Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Marc H. Silverman, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that STEPHANIE PEREZ, 40, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 14 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for her participation in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme that defrauded dozens of individuals and businesses out of more than $1 million.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Perez was involved in a multistate identity theft scheme led by her husband, Tyshon Walker. Beginning in September 2020, Walker obtained personal information stolen from residents of Connecticut and other states and used it to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island for luxury and performance vehicles, motorcycles, an all-terrain vehicle, and a boat. Once the loan was approved by the dealership using the identity theft victim’s information, Walker would send “runners,” to pick up the vehicle utilizing a fictitious driver’s license that included the identity theft victim’s information and a photograph of the runner. The vehicle was then transported back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace.
Perez helped Walker select coconspirators, including Ryan Testa, to be runners, provided them with payment to make trips to acquire vehicles, and picked up the vehicles from the coconspirators once they returned to Connecticut. Perez recruited and supervised Testa after two other runners involved in the scheme were arrested and charged with related offenses. Between March and May 2023, at the direction of Perez and Walker, Testa used stolen identities to acquire at least nine vehicles with a total value of more than $500,000.
Perez was arrested on April 10, 2024. On December 6, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.
Walker and Testa have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Hopkinton (R.I.) Police Department, the Westtown – East Goshen Regional (Pa.) Police Department, and the Washington Township (N.J.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry.