Rye police arrested a 24-year-old Connecticut man last week they say allegedly stole a $75,000 BMW in a Facebook Marketplace meet-up by paying for the car with a fraudulent cashier’s check.
Jose Gonzalez, of Bridgeport, Conn., was charged with possession of stolen property, grand larceny, possession of a forged instrument, and criminal impersonation after the Rye Police Department arrested him on March 20.
Cops reported they observed a blue BMW Sedan traveling along Milton Road in Rye last Friday without license plates. When police initiated a traffic stop they asked for driver’s licenses from both the woman driver and Gonzalez, who was riding passenger.
Gonzalez allegedly had been flagged with a previous traffic stop earlier that day. Police reported the 24-year-old said he owned the BMW but didn’t have a bill of sale or plates yet.
Rye cops launched an investigation, which revealed Gonzalez had allegedly initiated a Facebook Marketplace transaction for the car under a fake name, Robert Hines, and a fake Massachusetts license. He then apparently proceeded to meet the BMW owner in Rye, and paid $75,000 for the car with a bunk cashier’s check.
Facebook Marketplace scams have been a major concern recently for buyers who use the social platform to make purchases. Over the Connecticut border in Darien, local cops even turned a police parking lot into a fully monitored Facebook Marketplace exchange site – after noticing an uptick of resident complaints about Facebook-related scams and robberies.
According to police, Gonzalez admitted to the theft after he was arrested last week, and the BMW was returned to the owner.
Gonzalez is due back in Rye City Court on March 31.
