Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 Revere man sentenced in nationwide rideshare and delivery account fraud scheme R ecently, a Revere man was sentenced for defrauding rideshare companies using fraudulent driver accounts that he created using stolen identities. Thiago De Souza Prado, 39, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Wolf also imposed a $50,000 fi ne. Prado was charged in May 2021 along with 17 others. In September 2023, Prado was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. “What Thiago De Souza Prado and this crew did is truly egregious. They stole the identities of unsuspecting consumers, violated customers’ privacy, and potentially compromised public safety by putting unqualifi ed drivers beSPORTS | FROM Page 12 losses. Revere topped Greater Boston League rival Medford, 50-43. Revere coach Dave Leary said it was a great defensive effort for the Patriots, led by junior guard Josh Mercado, who had four steals and fi ve rebounds. Junior guard Ethan Day led the team with 18 points, and senior captain Andrew Leone added a double-double: 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Patriots had dropped to 0-2 in the prior game. Lynn English beat Revere, 82-51. “We competed hard and were down fi ve at halftime,” Leary said. “We just could not sustain it.” Leone had 10 points and fi ve rebounds. Luke Ellis added four points and 12 rebounds, and Day tossed in 16 points. hind the wheel of these rideshare and food delivery services which millions of people rely on,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, Jodi Cohen. “We are very grateful to Uber’s Global Security and Investigations team for their diligent eff orts in rooting out this massive fraud ring, for quickly bringing it to the FBI’s attention, and for working with us to ensure the defendants in this case were brought to justice and held accountable for the crimes they committed.” According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, starting in 2019, Prado obtained stolen Massachusetts driver’s licenses and bought social security numbers on the darknet. He and his coconspirators then used the stolen identities to pass the criminal background checks, the sex off ender registry check and the driving record check required by Everett/Revere Co-op Hockey team drop two The Everett/Revere co-op hockey team dropped a pair of games and fell to 1-2 on the young season. The team lost on the road to Somerville, 4-3, in overtime. Everett trailed, 2-0, in the fi rst period but scored three straight goals over the three regulation periods to take a 3-2 lead 4:53 into the third period. Somerville, however, would strike back about four minutes later to tie things at 3-3 and ended the game with a goal 2:42 into overtime. Everett/Revere got goals from Frankie Annunziata of Revere, Vishant Chawla of the rideshare companies and by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Prado and his coconspirators also used the stolen social security numbers for tax reporting on their fraudulent accounts. Once the driving accounts were active, Prado either used the accounts himself or rented them out to others, who also could not pass the background checks, often because they did not have social security numbers and were in the United States illegally. Prado also used his fake driver accounts to get bonuses from rideshare companies by referring his other fake driver accounts as new drivers. In addition, Prado and his coconspirators used an app, which they called “the drone,” to spoof rides and ride lengths, so that they were paid by the rideshare companies for “ghost rides” or for rides that were longer and more expensive than those Mystic Valley and Michael Brandano of Mystic Valley. Brandano added an assist. Matt Lacroix of Revere, Ollie Svendsen of Revere, Jake Simpson of Malden and Jackie Summers of Malden had assists for Everett as well. Dealing with some illnesses going around the locker room, Everett/Revere was shorthanded in the following game against Medford and lost, 8-2. Simpson and Summers had the goals in that one, and Brandano added an assist. Everett/Revere was scheduled to face Lynn on the road Dec. 20 and stays on the road for a 1 p.m. matchup with Swampscott Saturday, Dec. 23. The Tide will participate in a Christmas tourney at East Boston Dec. 27 and Dec. 28. actually provided. Prado received payments via bank accounts that he opened in the names of identity theft victims. U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha of the District of Rhode Island and Special Agent Cohen made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Holcomb and Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Offi ce for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case. Attorney Cunha was assigned to oversee this matter by the Department of Justice upon recusal of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. 1. On Dec. 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate was opened in what city? 2. What is the translation of “O Tannenbaum”? 3. What city was Al Capone from: Chicago, NYC or St. Louis? 4. On Dec. 23, 1947, Bill Rodgers was born; he won how many Boston Marathons? 5. The first artificial Christmas trees used feathers dyed green from what bird that is a traditional Christmas dinner in much of Europe? 6. On Dec. 24, 1912, Hartford, New York City and what other city lit the fi rst city public Christmas trees? 7. The Feast of the Seven Fishes originated in what country? 8. What is another word for reindeer? 9. Reportedly, in what century did gingerbread originate: 9th, 12th or 16th? 10. What does noggin mean (besides a person’s head)? 11. According to Guinness World Records, 219 dogs were Answers invited to attend a screening of what 2023 fi lm? 12. On Dec. 25, 1821, Clara Barton was born in Oxford, Mass.; she later founded what American humanitarian organization? 13. In the movie “Frozen,” who says, “Some things are worth melting for”? 14. On Dec. 26, 1966, what holiday began in the USA? 15. In what Christmas song would you fi nd “a jolly happy soul”? 16. What Canadian musician became known as “Mr. New Year’s Eve”? 17. On Dec. 27, 1932, what venue opened in NYC’s Rockefeller Center? 18. How are Eagle, Tenderfoot and Star similar? 19. What is it called when a legal dispute is resolved before trial? 20. On Dec. 28, 1973, who signed the Endangered Species Act into law? 1. Berlin (to signify the reunion of West and East Germany) 2. “O Christmas Tree” 3. NYC (Brooklyn) 4. Four 5. Goose 6. Boston 7. Reportedly in the USA (among ItalianAmericans) 8. Caribou 9. 16th 10. A small mug or small drink (in olden times, often eggnog or strong ale) 11. “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” (Record title: most dogs attending a film screening.) 12. American Red Cross 13. Olaf 14. Kwanzaa 15. “Frosty the Snowman” 16. Guy Lombardo (With his Royal Canadians he played “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s for about 50 years.) 17. Radio City Music Hall 18. They are Boy Scouts of America ranks. 19. Settlement 20. Richard Nixon
15 Publizr Home