BOSTON — A group of 14 Brazilian nationals, including those who live in Lynn, Revere and Saugus, were indicted this week for their role in a nationwide rideshare conspiracy in which the defendants are accused of opening fraudulent driver accounts, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
The 14 Brazilian nationals are part of a group of 19 defendants who were indicted in May on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by using stolen identities and falsified documents to create fraudulent driver accounts for rent or sale to individuals who might not otherwise qualify to drive for the rideshare or delivery services.
The conspiracy involved using automated bots and GPS-disguising technology to increase the revenue that participants received from the rideshare and delivery companies. In order to execute this, the defendants stole identities to pass background checks, which are a part of the companies’ hiring practices, prosecutors said.
This week, the 14 Brazilian nationals were part of a second superseding indictment, which charges this group with aggravated identity theft related to their use of victims’ means of identification in connection with the conspiracy, prosecutors said.
Allegedly, the defendants used the Dark Web to search for victims’ social security numbers, license information, names and dates of birth. The defendants also allegedly obtained photographs of the victims when doing alcohol deliveries; the defendants would take a photo of the victims’ drivers license photo, prosecutors said.
The grand jury had previously returned a superseding indictment charging two of the 19 defendants in the case with aggravated identity theft in June. Sixteen of the defendants have been arrested in connection with the conspiracy and three remain at large, prosecutors said.
The following defendants were charged this week in the second superseding indictment for aggravated identity theft:
- Wemerson Dutra Aguiar, 25, a Brazilian national formerly residing in Lynn and Woburn.
- Priscila Barbosa, 35, a Brazilian national residing in Saugus.
- Edvaldo Rocha Cabral, 41, a Brazilian national residing in Lowell.
- Clovis Kardekis Placido, 37, a Brazilian national residing in Citrus Heights, Calif.
- Bruna Peixoto Colaço Ramos, 31, a Brazilian national residing in Burlington.
- Thiago De Souza Prado, 37, a Brazilian national residing in Revere.
- Luiz Narciso Alves Neto, 36, a Brazilian national residing in Revere.
- Altacyr Dias Guimaraes Neto, 34, a Brazilian national residing in Kissimmee, Fla.
- Philipe Do Amaral Pereira, 37, a Brazilian national residing in Hercules, Calif.
- Bruno Proencio Abreu, 28, a Brazilian national residing in Saugus.
- Oliver Felipe Gomes De Oliveira, 33, a Brazilian national residing in Shrewsbury.
- Waldemy Jorge Lima Wanderley Junior, 32, a Brazilian national residing in Watertown.
- Saulo Aguiar Ponciano, 33, a Brazilian national residing in Wheeling, Ill.
- Alessandro Felix Da Fonseca, 25, a Brazilian national residing in Revere.
The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a prison sentence of at least two years in prison. The charge of wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
