A citizen of the Dominican Republic previously deported twice has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison in connection with a multi-state identity theft scheme involving more than a dozen vehicles that were bought under someone else’s name.
Kelvin Prado-Robles, also known as Frankely Robles-Guzman, 49, faced sentencing on Monday in federal court in Hartford where U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson sentenced him to 57 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
In August, Prado-Robles pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of reentry of a removed alien, federal officials said. According to authorities, he has never held legal immigration status in the U.S.
In January 2008, Prado-Robles was sentenced in the U.S. District of Delaware to two years in prison for false representation of citizenship, passport fraud and identity theft offenses, officials said. He was deported to the Dominican Republic in February 2009.
In February 2011, Prado-Robles was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Newark, New Jersey, officials said. He was again deported in September 2011.
Authorities said Prado-Robles illegally reentered the country and became involved in an identity theft scheme in late 2017. He allegedly conspired with Domingo St. Hilaire Rosario and Jamie Pinto to use stolen identities to obtain vehicles and motorcycles at dealerships in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey, officials said.
Officials allege Rosario would arrange for a car or motorcycle to be purchased or leased from a dealership using the name of an identity theft victim, while Prado-Robles or Pinto impersonated the victim at the dealership and completed the paperwork. Rosario allegedly supplied fraudulent identification documents using the victims’ names and a photo of one of the co-conspirators, authorities said.
Investigators believe the individuals intended to sell or export the vehicles.
According to federal officials, at least 13 vehicles were fraudulently obtained, in addition to two more vehicles which authorities allege the individuals tried to obtain. Some of the vehicles were recovered by law enforcement and returned to the dealers. The thefts led to more than $200,000 in losses to the dealerships.
Rosario and Prado-Robles allegedly fled to the Dominican Republic around 2018, officials said.
Prado-Robles was arrested in New Mexico in June 2023 and, under the name “Kelvin Prado-Roble,” was charged in the District of New Mexico with illegal reentry. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 months in prison in November 2023, authorities said. He was transferred to Connecticut in June 2024 and is currently detained.
Rosario was extradited from the Dominican Republic in May 2020. He pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft offenses and was sentenced to 65 months in prison in October 2021.
Pinto pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and identity theft offenses and was sentenced to 60 months in prison in October 2021.