Members of the ring were in possession of numerous stolen identities and were responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent cellphone purchases, authorities said.
CLOSTER - A woman arrested late last year for allegedly buying iPhones using a stolen identity prompted an investigation that led to the arrests and/or charges of five people last week from The Bronx, N.Y., according to Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.
Aimee Gonzalez, 21, was arrested in November 2015 after she attempted to use a stolen identity to buy phones from a Verizon Wireless store in Closter, the prosecutor said.
An investigation launched after the woman's arrest revealed that Gonzalez was a member of an organized identity theft ring, authorities said.
Members of the ring were in possession of numerous stolen identities and were responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent cellphone purchases, authorities said.
The purchases occurred using the stolen identities at stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to the prosecutor.
On Friday, officers from the prosecutor's office, the Closter Police Department and the New York City Police Department arrested Aimee Gonzalez, along with Francisco Gonzalez, 23, and Carmen Anglero, 44, the prosecutor said.
During the course of the investigation, two others were identified as co-conspirators and were charged but are currently at large and wanted as fugitives:
- Carlos Montero, 31, of The Bronx
- Eury Garcia Sosa, 31, of The Bronx
"Each of the individuals identified played significant and varied roles in the criminal organization," Grewal said in a statement.
Aimee Gonzalez and Carmen Anglero "impersonated victims and completed the illicit purchases," the prosecutor said. Eury Garcia Sosa "drove the illicit buyers to and from the Verizon Stores and was complicit in the identity theft and purchases," the prosecutor said.
"Carlos Montero acted as an organizer and supplied the illicit buyers with the stolen identifications," Grewal said.
"Francisco Gonzalez supplied the group with forged and fraudulent identification documents, including forged driver's licenses and secondary forms of identification," the prosecutor said.
Aimee Gonazalez and Francisco Gonzalez were arrested in New York where they were charged as fugitives from justice and were taken to local jails pending extradition hearings.
Anglero is currently incarcerated in the Montgomery County Jail in Pennsylvania, authorities said.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.