THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 Page 7 Two plead guilty in nationwide rideshare and delivery account fraud scheme Barbosa and da Silveira also B OSTON — Two Brazilian nationals pleaded guilty on Monday, April 11, 2022, in connection with a nationwide conspiracy to open fraudulent driver accounts with rideshare and delivery service companies. Guilherme da Silveira, 29, of Revere, and Priscila Barbosa, 35, of Saugus, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Barbosa also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft. In May 2021, da Silveira and Barbosa were charged along with 17 codefendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud by using stolen identities and falsifi ed documents to create fraudulent driver accounts for rent or sale to individuals who might not otherwise qualify to drive for the rideshare or delivery services. According to the allegations in the charging documents, the defendants used victims’ identifying information to apply for driver accounts with the rideshare and delivery companies — enabling them to pass the companies’ required background checks and create driver accounts in victims’ names. Allegedly, the defendants obtained victims’ names, dates of birth, driver’s license information and/or Social Security numbers from coconspirators and other sources, including sites on the “darknet,” and the defendants EARTH DAY 2022 | FROM PAGE 1 date without social distancing and other COVID-19-related restrictions — with two major events in town planned for tomorrow (Saturday, April 23): • Park Serve Day at Breakheart Reservation • Earth Day Cleanup at Marshview Park in Lynn near the Saugus town line. “Many people celebrate Earth Day by participating in a cleanup, like at Breakheart Reservation for Park Service Day (starts at 10:00 a.m.) or at Marshview Park (starts at 9:30 a.m.),” Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta said this week (See inside for “A Reader’s Perspective”). “Earth Day festivities at Breakheart is a wonderful opportunity to make a diff erence,” she said. The state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) each year during Earth Week invites volunteers to Massachusetts state parks to take part in stewardship activities to prepare for the busy spring and summer recreation season. At the Park Serve Day set for tomorrow, the volunteers will help DCR and the Friends of Breakheart Reservation, local Boy Scouts of America and coconspirators also obtained driver’s license images directly from victims by photographing their licenses while completing an alcohol delivery through one of the service companies or while exchanging information with victims following vehicle accidents. Allegedly, some of the defendants or coconspirators intentionally caused the accidents to obtain license information. As a result of the scheme, IRS Forms 1099 were generated in victims’ names for income that conspirators earned from the rideshare and delivery companies. In connection with the scheme, Barbosa and da Silveira obtained driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers that they and their coconspirators procured from the “darknet” and other sources. They then used these stolen identifi ers to create and apply for numerous fraudulent accounts with the rideshare and delivery companies and supplied these identifi ers to other coconspirators who also created fraudulent accounts. To circumvent facial recognition technology utilized by rideshare and delivery companies as a security measure, Barbosa edited victims’ driver’s license images to display photos of the drivers renting or buying the fraudulent accounts. In total, Barbosa admitted to creating over 2,000 fraudulent rideshare accounts. and members of the Saugus Garden Club get the state park ready. Activities at the park — which are suitable for volunteers from ages eight and up — include invasive plant removal, planting, mulching, pruning and litter removal. The volunteers are asked to meet at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center at Breakheart Reservation (177 Forest St.) tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. People who plan on attending should bring their own reusable water bottle. Water will be available, but there will be no plastic water bottles. Please sign and bring a Volunteer Release form (for adults or for minors) with you! There will be a limited supply of forms available at the event. Contact (781) 233-0834 with questions. Volunteers are also welcome to celebrate Earth Day by joining the Saugus River Watershed Council and the DCR for a cleanup project at Marshview Park along the Saugus River in Lynn. The cleanup will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last through noon. All are welcome and no RSVP is needed. Marshview Park is located adjacent to the Saugus River on Boston Street in Lynn, directly across the street from K Pub Restaurant on Lincoln Avenue in Saugus. advertised fraudulent driver accounts for rent and purchase to potential drivers, including via WhatsApp chat groups targeted to Brazilian nationals living in the United States. Barbosa and da Silveira managed the fraudulent accounts they rented out, specifically by collecting rental payments and troubleshooting issues that arose. Additionally, Barbosa and da Silveira used fraudulent driver accounts to exploit referral bonus programs offered by the rideshare and delivery companies and used “bots” and GPS “spoofi ng” technology to increase the income earned from the companies. Barbosa and da Silveira each received over approximately $791,000 and $570,000, respectively, from the scheme in the form of rental payments from individuals driving under these accounts and payments from the companies generated with these accounts. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencings for both defendants on Aug. 4, 2022. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fi ne of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the off ense, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of at least two years in prison to be Mary Lester, executive director of the Saugus River Watershed Council, calls the park “the Gateway between Saugus and Lynn and the future abutters of the rail trail.” Regular cleanups of the park catch trash and other debris before it blows into the river, she says. In an interview with The Saugus Advocate three years ago, Lester was asked about the ultimate importance of Earth Day cleanups like the one at Marshview Park. “It brings communities worldwide together to show awareness and appreciation of the earth,” Lester said. “It is an opportunity that we have to express our love for the environment and show others how to protect it. Without the beginning of Earth Day in 1970 there is a good chance some of these accomplishments may have never happened: “• The establishment of Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 “• The Clean Air Act of 1970 “• The Clean Water Act of 1972 “• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 “• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 “• The Federal Occupational Health and Safety Act aimed at ‘in-plant pollution’” served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Sixteen of the defendants have been arrested in connection with the conspiracy and three remain at large. Barbosa and da Silveira are the fi fth and sixth defendants, respectively, to plead guilty in the case. If you believe that you may be a victim of the allegations in this case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/us-vwemerson-dutra-aguiar-and-usv-priscila-barbosa-et-al. J& $46 yd. S MULCH SALE! Discount Spring Special PICK-UP or DELIVERY AVAILABLE 617-389-1490 Premium Hemlock or Pitch Black BELOW WHOLESALE COSTS LANDSCAPERS WELCOME $4 yd. $42 yd. $3 yd.
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