Tow Truck Operator and Used Car Dealer Sentenced for Car Theft Scheme

A tow truck operator and a used car dealer have bee sentenced for their roles in a motor vehicle theft scheme in New York.

New York Attorney General Letitia Jame said an investigation by her office and the New York State Police (NYSP) revealed that John F. Rivers of East Greenbush used his towing company’s contracts with local businesses to steal vehicles, and then later illegally sold the vehicles he towed to scrap yards or used car dealers, including Robert A. Pitcher of Broadalbin.

Rivers and Pitcher were charged with more than 30 felonies for stealing and selling vehicles towed from parking lots throughout the region. In December 2025, Rivers pleaded guilty to grand larceny and Pitcher pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen. property. Rivers was sentenced to two to six years in prison and Pitcher was sentenced to five years of probation on February 5.

James said the investigation revealed that from October 2022 through August 2024, Rivers towed cars left overnight in the parking lots of local businesses in order to steal the vehicles. Parking lots targeted by Rivers included a Walmart in Latham, a Hannaford in Albany, and a Home Depot in Rensselaer.

Once the vehicles were stolen, according to prosecutors, Rivers would sell them to Pitcher, who would create fraudulent ownership documents in order to resell them. Rivers would also assist Pitcher in creating falsified titles and other documents.

Towing companies are supposed to notify the owner of the towed vehicle within five days and then must hold the vehicle for 30 days before attempting to claim its title. However, prosecutors said Rivers sometimes sold vehicles within days and without notifying the vehicle’s owner. When the owners discovered that their cars had been towed to his lot, they tried to contact Rivers and recover their cars. Rivers would either ignore their requests or demand what prosecutors said were excessive fees – up to $1,000 per day the car was held – to return them.

In one example cited by law enforcement, in March 2024, NYSP investigators parked an “undercover” Hyundai Sonata in a 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 “chop shop” 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.

“This sentencing has brought to justice individuals who engaged in fraud and larceny, impacting car owners and scamming local businesses who had trust in them,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James.