Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced the sentencing of Ryan Testa, 48, from Bristol. Testa was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his involvement in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme.
The court documents reveal that since September 2020, Tyshon Walker obtained personal information stolen from residents across several states to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island. These loans were used to acquire luxury vehicles and other high-value items fraudulently. The vehicles were then transported back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace.
In early 2023, Walker and his wife Stephanie Perez recruited Testa as a runner. Between March and May 2023, under their direction, Testa used stolen identities to acquire at least nine vehicles valued at over $500,000.
Testa was arrested on May 16, 2023, in Pennsylvania related to an attempted vehicle theft tied to this scheme. He pleaded guilty on February 27, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Walker and Perez also pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 6, 2025, Perez received a sentence of 14 months imprisonment while Walker awaits sentencing.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and various local police departments across different states. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry are prosecuting the case.
