Grayson
Fields
White
photo of Guishard not available
WHITE PLAINS – Four people pled guilty in Westchester County Court on Friday in connection with an identity theft scam at a Mercedes Benz dealership in New Rochelle.
Charged with felony grand larceny are Devon Guishard, 27, of the Bronx, and Tameek White, 22, of Mount Vernon. Michael Maurice Grayson, 52, of the Bronx and Patricia Fields, 57, of Mount Vernon were both charged with felony identity theft.
On September 26, 2015, the four pulled off a scam at the dealership with the intent of illegally driving off with a brand new $233,440 Mercedes sedan. To that end, Grayson and Fields assumed the identity of two other people and used their Social Security numbers, forged US passport cards, and forged drivers’ licenses to obtain financing in order to fraudulently purchase the vehicle. They forged the victims’ signatures on several applications and purchase documents.
In order to make the sale appear genuine, White brought $9,000 to the dealership as a down payment for the car.
Guishard was the ring leader of the scheme. He remained in contact by cell phone with White about the progress of the sale and he emailed the insurance binder for the car to the salesman. The insurance and registration were in the name of one of the victims. Guishard came to the dealership when the transaction was completed, received the keys and drove the car off the lot.
The perpetrators had planned to resell the car to individuals in other states. The car was recovered in Texas.
The two victims of the identity theft fraud turned out to be a retired FBI agent from Ohio and a doctor in Florida.
The investigation revealed this ring carried out similar high-end vehicle identity theft scams in other parts of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Arizona, California and Texas.
When sentenced in September, Grayson and Fields each face from one to three years in prison and Guishard faces two to four years in prison. White was sentenced on Friday to time served in Jail.
