One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans

Prosecutors say counterfeit driver’s licenses allowed a California man to buy, register, insure, and resell vehicles using stolen identities.

One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans

Buying a car under someone else’s name wasn’t just a one-time scam. Federal prosecutors say it became a business model.

A 61-year-old Northern California man has pleaded guilty after authorities say he used stolen identities and counterfeit driver’s licenses to fraudulently obtain vehicle loans, purchase automobiles from dealerships, and then resell the vehicles for profit.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, James Raymond Hanes of Anderson admitted to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Court records show that between June 2022 and December 2023, Hanes obtained the personally identifiable information of multiple victims and used it to manufacture at least 16 counterfeit California driver’s licenses. Each license reportedly displayed Hanes’ photograph while bearing the identity of a different victim.

Federal prosecutors say Hanes then used those fraudulent identities to secure more than $47,000 in vehicle financing from lenders, purchase vehicles from dealerships throughout Northern California, register the vehicles with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, obtain insurance coverage, and ultimately resell the cars to associates and unsuspecting buyers.

The case highlights how identity theft continues to evolve beyond traditional credit card and account fraud. By creating convincing counterfeit identification documents, investigators say Hanes was able to move through nearly every step of the vehicle purchasing process before the scheme unraveled.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Redding Police Department.

Hanes is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 13 before Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million for the bank fraud conviction, along with a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft. His final sentence will be determined by the court after considering the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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Source: DOJ

One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans – One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans – One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans

One Face. Sixteen Identities. $476,000 in Fraudulent Auto Loans – Police – Police – Arrest – Arrest – Credit Union Collections – Credit Union Collectors – Lending – Fraud – Auto Loan – Department of Justice