Stephanie Perez, a 40-year-old resident of Bridgeport, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for her involvement in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme. The announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The scheme, which defrauded individuals and businesses out of more than $1 million, was led by Perez's husband, Tyshon Walker. Starting in September 2020, Walker used stolen personal information from residents of several states to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships across Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island. The vehicles included luxury cars, motorcycles, an all-terrain vehicle, and a boat.
Once loans were approved using stolen identities, "runners" were sent to pick up the vehicles with fake driver's licenses containing the victims' information. These vehicles were then brought back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace.
Perez's role involved selecting coconspirators like Ryan Testa to act as runners. She arranged payments for their trips and collected the vehicles once they returned to Connecticut. Between March and May 2023 alone, Testa acquired at least nine vehicles valued over $500,000 under Perez's direction.
Perez was arrested on April 10, 2024. She pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to conspiracy charges involving bank fraud and wire fraud. Her co-conspirators Walker and Testa have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force along with police departments from Bridgeport and other towns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry.
