Shasta County Man Admits to $476,000 Vehicle Financing Fraud Scheme

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — James Raymond Hanes, 61, of Anderson, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in a vehicle financing scam that used stolen identities, fake driver’s licenses, and fraudulent loans to obtain and resell cars, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, between June 2022 and December 2023, Hanes obtained personally identifiable information of multiple individuals and used it to create at least 16 counterfeit driver’s licenses bearing his photo but someone else’s identity. He then secured more than $47,000 in vehicle loans in those victims’ names, purchased cars from dealerships across Northern California, registered them with the DMV, obtained insurance, and resold the vehicles to associates and unsuspecting buyers.

Read the entire press release. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California, June 29, 2026