By Shawn Henry 
A Capital Region towing contractor has been sentenced to state prison after prosecutors said he transformed routine parking lot tows into a multi-year vehicle theft operation that stripped dozens of owners of their cars.
John Rivers, 44, of East Greenbush, was sentenced to two to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to grand larceny in the second degree. Authorities said Rivers used his towing authority to remove vehicles from commercial parking lots across the region and sell them without legally notifying the owners.
A second man, 58-year-old Robert Pitcher of Broadalbin, received five years of probation after admitting to possessing stolen property tied to the scheme. Prosecutors said Pitcher purchased vehicles Rivers towed and helped resell them using falsified paperwork.
A Towing Contract Turned Criminal Enterprise
According to the Office of the New York State Attorney General, the scheme operated between October 2022 and August 2024 and involved more than 30 felony counts.
Investigators said Rivers relied on towing contracts with local businesses to remove vehicles parked overnight. Among the locations cited were a Walmart in Latham, a Hannaford in Albany, and a Home Depot in Rensselaer.
Under New York law, towing companies are required to notify registered vehicle owners within five days and hold the vehicle for at least 30 days before attempting to claim ownership. Prosecutors said Rivers ignored those requirements.
Instead, authorities allege he either failed to notify owners entirely or imposed excessive storage fees — sometimes charging as much as $1,000 per day — making it difficult or impossible for owners to retrieve their cars.
Vehicles were often sold within days of being towed.
Undercover Sting Revealed the Process
In March 2024, investigators conducted an undercover operation to test the suspected activity.
New York State Police placed a Hyundai Sonata in a Walmart parking lot in Latham. The vehicle was removed later that night and taken to Rivers’ shop, according to prosecutors.
Authorities said the registered owner was never contacted.
Two months later, investigators tracked the same vehicle to a chop shop in Massachusetts, where it was being dismantled. Officials said the registered owner was never informed that the car had been towed or resold.
Vehicles Worth Hundreds of Thousands
By December 2024, Rivers was formally charged in connection with 17 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $230,000. Pitcher was later charged for his role in purchasing and reselling the vehicles.
Prosecutors said Pitcher created fraudulent ownership documents to facilitate the resale of the cars and, in some instances, worked with Rivers to falsify titles.
Authorities described the operation as a coordinated effort that relied on forged paperwork and rapid resale to move vehicles before owners realized what had happened.
One of the Region’s Larger Tow-Related Theft Cases
The Attorney General’s Office characterized the case as a significant breach of trust within an industry that operates under regulatory authority.
When drivers leave vehicles in commercial parking lots, towing companies are often granted legal authority to remove improperly parked cars. Prosecutors said Rivers exploited that authority to convert legitimate towing power into a pipeline for theft.
State Police officials emphasized that vehicle theft remains a serious offense, particularly when it involves organized activity and falsified documentation.
Accountability After Two Years
Rivers pleaded guilty in December 2025 to grand larceny in the second degree. Pitcher pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree.
The sentencing brings formal resolution to an investigation that spanned nearly two years and involved coordination between the Attorney General’s Office and the New York State Police.
Authorities said the case highlights the importance of oversight within the towing and resale market, particularly when vehicles can change hands quickly through scrap yards or secondary dealers.
For the affected vehicle owners, the damage extended beyond financial loss. Prosecutors said many were left without transportation while unaware their vehicles had already been sold or dismantled.
The investigation is now closed, but officials said enforcement efforts targeting vehicle theft schemes across the state remain ongoing.
John Lloyd