Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Rensselaer County Tow Truck Operator for Car Theft Scheme

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest of John F. Rivers, 43, of East Greenbush for using his towing company, Rivers Asset Recovery, to steal and sell vehicles towed from parking lots across the Capital Region. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and New York State Police (NYSP) revealed that Rivers used his contracts with local businesses to monitor parking lots and tow vehicles, and then later illegally sold vehicles he towed to scrapyards or used car dealers. Rivers was charged today with multiple felonies for stealing 17 vehicles worth a combined $230,000 over nearly two years, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud.

“Car theft is a serious crime that can leave New Yorkers stranded, and my office is focused on stopping anyone who tries to profit from it,” said Attorney General James. “This alleged scheme was a systematic effort to use legal towing for illegal theft and deception, leaving New Yorkers across the Capital Region in the dark about what happened to their cars. I thank our partners in this investigation for their work to help crack down on car theft and shut down this scheme.”

Towing companies are required to notify the owner of the towed vehicle within five days and must hold a vehicle for 30 days before claiming its title. However, Rivers sometimes sold vehicles he towed within days of towing them and without notifying the vehicle’s rightful owner. The investigation revealed that from October 2022 through August 2024, Rivers used his status as a tow truck operator, with contracts to repossess and tow cars left overnight in area parking lots, to steal and sell 17 vehicles.

Parking lots serviced by Rivers included a Walmart in Latham, a Hannaford in Albany, and a Home Depot in Rensselaer. Of the 17 vehicles Rivers stole, 12 were sold to used car dealers and five were sold to scrapyards. In some cases when the owners of vehicles that Rivers stole tried to recover their cars, Rivers would either ignore their requests or demand $1,000 for every day that he had held the car.

In one egregious example, in March 2024, NYSP investigators parked an “undercover” Hyundai Sonata provided by an insurance company in the Walmart parking lot in Latham, where Rivers had a tow contract. The car was towed later that night and brought to the Rivers Asset Recovery shop while the registered owner was never notified it had been towed. Two months later, the Sonata was transported to a scrapyard in Massachusetts, where NYSP observed it cut up into parts. To date, the vehicle’s registered owner has never been notified that the Sonata was towed or sold.   

The criminal complaint – arraigned before Rensselaer City Judge Linda Blom Johnson – charges Rivers with multiple felonies, including Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud. If convicted, Rivers faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Through a collaborative investigation among law enforcement partners, we have uncovered an alleged car theft operation that was responsible for victimizing car owners throughout the Capital Region,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “I want to commend the efforts of the Attorney General’s office and all of those involved in bringing this criminal activity to an end, and for the outstanding work that led to the arrest in this case.”

The ongoing investigation is led by the NYSP Special Investigations Unit, with the assistance of the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles and the Division of Tax and Finance.

The case is being prosecuted by Public Integrity Bureau Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Baynes and Shadi Masri, under the supervision of PIB Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy and Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer, with the assistance of PIB Supervising Analyst Sara Pogorzelski and Principal Auditor Investigator Danielle Dudley. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.