United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced charges against KAHEEM ARCHER, CALVIN BENT, CHRISTINE FERGUSON, LAMONT MARTIN, AJANI MCCHRISTON, and CHAD REED in connection with a multi-year scheme to steal rental cars worth millions of dollars using stolen credit cards and forged driver’s licenses. Each of the six defendants is charged with conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen vehicles; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and aggravated identity theft. All six defendants were arrested and presented in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.
“Identity theft has no place in our community, and it impacts and harms New Yorkers and others in many different ways,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “As alleged, the six defendants charged today traveled up and down the East Coast, picking up rental cars using credit cards obtained with the identities of innocent victims to further a variety of schemes, including the use of rental cars to commit violent crimes in our community. These charges not only bring that scheme to an end but also send a broader message that the women and men of this Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and pursue criminals who seek to use the identities of unwitting and innocent victims to enrich themselves and commit crimes.”
“The alleged rental car and identify theft scheme in this investigation resulted in the loss of millions of dollars from innocent victims,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Crimes involving stolen identities and large-scale financial loss undermine public trust and cause harm to those impacted. In support of the Vice President's Fraud Task Force, FBI New York will continue to work diligently to protect the public from fraud in all its forms.
“As alleged in the complaint, these six defendants used stolen credit cards and forged driver’s licenses to steal millions of dollars in stolen vehicles, some of which were later used in violent crimes,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “We shut this criminal operation down and remind those who attempt to use our city as a playground for criminal activity that they will face consequences. Thank you to our NYPD investigators whose relentless work dismantled this scheme, and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for ensuring that these individuals are held accountable.
As alleged in the Complaint and other public filings:(1)
From at least September 2023 to the present, ARCHER, BENT, FERGUSON, MARTIN, MCCHRISTON, and REED stole rental cars across the Northeastern United States from multiple rental car companies by using stolen credit cards and fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the defendants’ photographs but victims’ names. For over three years, the defendants executed the charged scheme by reserving and picking up rental cars under stolen identities, charging the rentals to the victims’ credit cards, and then transporting the cars to the Bronx or Manhattan, New York, often on the same day. Multiple defendants carried out these thefts in close succession at the same rental locations. None of the cars were returned, and several were later recovered in connection with violent crimes or found operated by suspects of violent crimes.
ARCHER, 29, of Brooklyn, New York; BENT, 24, of Brooklyn; FERGUSON, 27, of Brooklyn; MARTIN, 26, of Staten Island, New York; MCCHRISTON, 33, of Brooklyn; and REED, 27, of Brooklyn, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of stolen vehicles, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD, including the FBI / NYPD New York Joint Major Theft Task Force. Mr. McDonald also thanked the Northampton, Massachusetts Police Department; Verona, New Jersey Police Department; Collegeville, Pennsylvania Police Department; Newark, Delaware Police Department; Greenwich, Connecticut Police Department; Delaware State Police, New York State Police, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their valuable assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie B. Arffa and Matthew T. Souza are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
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