(WNY News Now) EAST GREENBUSH, NYA – New York Attorney General Letitia James said today that a tow truck driver in Rensselaer County has been arrested for allegedly planning a car theft plot that involved the unlawful sale of towed vehicles.
NEW YORK John F. Rivers, 43, of East Greenbush, was arrested today by New York Attorney General Letitia James for stealing and selling cars he had pulled from parking lots throughout the Capital Region using his towing business, Rivers Asset Recovery. According to an investigation conducted by the New York State Police (NYSP) and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Rivers unlawfully sold the cars he took to scrapyards or used car dealers after using his contracts with nearby companies to monitor parking lots and tow cars. Rivers was charged today with several offenses, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud, for stealing 17 cars totaling $230,000 over almost two years.
Attorney General James stated, “My office is focused on stopping anyone who tries to profit from car theft, which is a serious crime that can leave New Yorkers stranded.” New Yorkers around the Capital Region were left in the dark about what happened to their cars as a result of this purported plan, which was a systematic attempt to employ legal towing for illicit theft and deception. I want to express my gratitude to our investigative partners for their efforts in preventing auto theft and putting an end to this fraud.
Towing businesses must keep a car for 30 days before claiming its title, and they must notify the owner of the towed vehicle within five days. On occasion, though, Rivers sold the cars he hauled within a few days of doing so and without informing the car’s legitimate owner. According to the investigation, between October 2022 and August 2024, Rivers stole and sold 17 cars using his position as a tow truck operator, which included contracts to reclaim and transport cars that were left overnight in nearby parking lots.
Rivers provided parking services for a Hannaford in Albany, a Home Depot in Rensselaer, and a Walmart in Latham. Rivers stole 17 cars, 12 of which were sold to used car dealers and 5 of which were sold to scrapyards. When the owners of cars that Rivers had stolen attempted to get their vehicles back, Rivers would sometimes refuse their pleas or demand $1,000 for each day he possessed the vehicle.
In one particularly egregious instance, NYSP investigators put an undercover Hyundai Sonata offered by an insurance provider in the Latham Walmart parking lot where Rivers had a tow contract in March 2024. The registered owner was never informed that the car had been towed; it was towed later that evening and sent to the Rivers Asset Recovery shop. The Sonata was taken to a Massachusetts scrapyard two months later, where NYSP saw it disassembled. The registered owner of the car has never been informed that the Sonata was sold or towed as of yet.
Rivers was charged with several felonies, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud, in the criminal complaint filed before Rensselaer City Judge Linda Blom Johnson. Rivers may receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail if found guilty. The defendant is deemed innocent until and unless proven guilty, and a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.
“We have discovered an alleged car theft operation that was responsible for victimizing car owners throughout the Capital Region through a cooperative investigation among law enforcement partners,” stated New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. For the exceptional work that resulted in the arrest in this case, I would like to express my gratitude to the Attorney General’s office and all those engaged in putting an end to this criminal conduct.
With support from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles and the Division of Tax and Finance, the NYSP Special Investigations Unit is spearheading the current inquiry.
Under the direction of Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer and PIB Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy, Public Integrity Bureau Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Baynes and Shadi Masri are prosecuting the case. Principal Auditor Investigator Danielle Dudley and PIB Supervising Analyst Sara Pogorzelski are also assisting. Jos Maldonado is the Chief Deputy Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Justice Division. First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy is in charge of the Division for Criminal Justice and the Investigations Division.
