Attorney General James Announces Sentencings of Rensselaer County Tow Truck Operator and Used Car Dealer for Car Theft Scheme

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the sentencings of John F. Rivers, 44, of East Greenbush and Robert A. Pitcher, 58, of Broadalbin for their roles in a car theft scheme in the Capital Region. Rivers and Pitcher were charged with over 30 felonies for stealing and selling vehicles towed from parking lots throughout the region. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and New York State Police (NYSP) revealed that Rivers 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 Pitcher. Rivers was sentenced today to two to six years in prison and Pitcher was sentenced to five years of probation on February 5.

“New Yorkers should be able to trust that when their car gets towed, they’ll be able to get it back quickly and easily,” said Attorney General James. “John Rivers turned his towing business into a criminal operation, stealing cars out of parking lots throughout the Capital Region and selling them to dealers like Robert Pitcher. This scheme left dozens of New Yorkers stranded without a car, and I thank our law enforcement partners for their work in this successful investigation.”

“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. “Car theft is no small matter, and we are here to address this problem head-on with the same seriousness and dedication as all crimes we investigate. Our coordination with Attorney General James is critical, and we will continue our partnership as we seek to intercept these acts and dismantle car theft schemes.”

The investigation revealed that from October 2022 through August 2024, Rivers used his position as a tow truck operator, with contracts with local businesses to repossess and tow cars left overnight in their parking lots, to steal the vehicles. Parking lots serviced and targeted by Rivers included a Walmart in Latham, a Hannaford in Albany, and a Home Depot in Rensselaer. Once the vehicles were stolen, 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 required 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, Rivers sometimes sold vehicles he towed within days and without notifying the vehicle’s rightful owner. When the owners of the vehicles discovered that Rivers towed their cars to his lot, they tried to contact Rivers and recover their cars. Rivers would either ignore their requests or demand unreasonably excessive fees – up to $1,000 per day the car was held – to return them.  In one egregious example, 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.

In December 2024, Attorney General James charged Rivers for stealing 17 vehicles worth a combined $230,000 over nearly two years. In February 2025, Attorney General James charged Pitcher with 11 felony counts for his part in buying and selling the stolen vehicles. In December 2025, Rivers pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Pitcher pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree.  

The investigation was led by the NYSP Special Investigations Unit, with the assistance of the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles and the Division of Tax and Finance. For OAG, the investigation was led by Detective Ron Enfield under the supervision of Assistant Chief Samuel Scotellaro. The Attorney General’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The case was prosecuted by Public Integrity Bureau Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Baynes and Shadi Masri, under the supervision of PIB Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy, Deputy Bureau Chief Mary Gorman, and Senior Counsel to the Criminal Justice Division Kiran Heer, with the assistance of PIB Analyst Samantha Shaughnessy and Principal Auditor Investigator Danielle Dudley, under the supervision of Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.