Former Swansea Used-Car Dealer Gets 4 to 6 Years for Selling Cars Buyers Could Never Register

Published Nov. 13, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

The buyers drove off the lot with a car, a plate and a promise that the title and registration would come in the mail. According to prosecutors, the paperwork never arrived, because the dealer had never paid for the cars himself.

Edward Cicciu, 48, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, the former owner of Bristol County Auto Exchange in Swansea, pleaded guilty on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River. Judge Raffi N. Yessayan sentenced him to 4 to 6 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of probation, and ordered $340,380.76 in restitution, according to a joint announcement by Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III [1].

The case involved 47 victims between the ages of 18 and 80, authorities said. We do not name them.

What authorities say happened

According to the Swansea Police Department [1]:

• Swansea police began investigating Bristol County Auto Exchange, at 2388 Grand Army of the Republic Highway, in May 2024, after customers reported paying for vehicles but never receiving the titles needed to register them.
• Investigators determined Cicciu obtained vehicles from an auction company but would not receive their titles until he paid that company in full.
• He sold the vehicles to customers, took their payments and provided fake or forged license plates, promising titles and registrations would arrive by mail.
• He then stopped responding to customers and failed to pay the auction company, leaving buyers without titles.
• Boston Police arrested Cicciu on Swansea Police warrants in October 2024. More victims came forward after police publicized the investigation.

The Fall River Reporter, citing the District Attorney's office, added further detail [2]: Cicciu used financing companies to obtain loans to buy vehicles at auctions; he printed false New Jersey temporary plates and registrations for customers; he gave bad checks as refunds to customers who returned vehicles for mechanical or safety problems; some customers never received vehicles they paid for; and he took possession of other people's vehicles to sell on their behalf, after which those owners were never paid or their vehicles went missing from the lot.

The charges he admitted

Cicciu changed his plea to guilty on [1]:

• 43 counts of larceny over $1,200 by false pretenses
• 38 counts of failure to deliver title upon transfer of a motor vehicle
• 37 counts of forging/misusing an RMV document
• 5 counts of larceny of a motor vehicle
• 2 counts of larceny by check over $1,200

A note on the count total: The police release describes the plea as covering "120 criminal counts," but the counts it itemizes add up to 125, the figure used by the Fall River Reporter [1][2]. The Reporter's account of his April 2025 arraignment also lists the 43 larceny counts as "under $1200," while the police release says "over $1,200." We reviewed the official Nov. 6 Swansea Police Department release, issued jointly with District Attorney Quinn: the lead says 120 counts, and the itemized list totals 125. For the larceny-by-false-pretenses counts, we follow that official release's wording, 'over $1,200.' We have not seen the court docket to resolve the 120-versus-125 difference.

The sentence

• Prison: Not less than 4 and not more than 6 years, at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center [1]. Court records show credit for 694 days already served [2].
• Probation: 5 years after release. He is barred from working in auto sales, must remain drug- and alcohol-free, submit to screening and pay restitution [1].
• Restitution: $340,380.76, payable in monthly installments of $5,673, according to court records reported by the Fall River Reporter [2].

The Reporter also said, citing the DA, that Cicciu has a history of larceny offenses and was on probation at the time of these offenses [2].

"The defendant conned and ripped off 47 victims between the ages of 18 and 80 who thought they were purchasing vehicles in a legitimate business transaction. Unfortunately, much to their horror, the defendant had no intention of completing the sales," District Attorney Quinn said [1].

"These victims paid for vehicles they could not register, leaving them without reliable transportation and out thousands of dollars," Chief Foley said [1].

The person convicted and his status

Edward Cicciu, 48, of Attleboro, Mass. Pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2026, in Bristol County Superior Court (Fall River); sentenced the same day to 4 to 6 years in state prison, 5 years of probation and $340,380.76 in restitution. Convicted by guilty plea. We found no public statement from him or his lawyer.

How "no-title" car sales work

A dealer who buys inventory on credit, from an auction house or a floor-plan lender, usually cannot hand over a clean title until that debt is paid. When a dealer sells the car and keeps the money without paying off the lender, the lender still holds the title. The buyer ends up with a car they cannot legally register, and may even face repossession by the lender. Temporary or out-of-state plates can hide the problem for weeks.

Red flags

These are general warning signs, not claims about any person beyond what authorities describe.

• "Your title will come in the mail" with no firm date, especially after the temporary registration is close to expiring.
• Out-of-state temporary plates from a local dealer with no clear reason.
• A dealer who stops answering calls about paperwork.
• Refund checks that bounce.
• Consignment deals in which a dealer takes your car to sell but you never see payment or the vehicle.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Before buying, ask whether the dealer has the title in hand, and get the VIN to run a vehicle history and lien check.
2. Get every promise in writing, including the date the title and registration will be delivered.
3. If paperwork doesn't arrive, contact your state motor vehicle agency (in Massachusetts, the RMV) and ask whether a lien is recorded.
4. Report it to local police and to your state attorney general's consumer protection office.
5. File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Nov. 13, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Edward Cicciu, 48, Attleboro, Mass.	Bristol County Superior Court (Fall River), Mass.	Pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2026, to larceny by false pretenses, failure to deliver title, forging/misusing RMV documents, larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny by check; sentenced to 4–6 years in state prison, 5 years of probation and $340,380.76 restitution; barred from auto sales	[1], [2]

Statuses can change. The total count number (120 vs. 125) differs between sources, as noted above.

Sources

1. Swansea Police Department, "Former Swansea Used Car Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme Involving 47 Victims," Nov. 6, 2026 (joint with the Bristol County District Attorney's Office). https://swanseapolice.com/former-swansea-used-car-dealer-sentenced-to-prison-for-fraud-scheme-involving-47-victims/
2. Ken Paiva, "Former owner of Swansea used car business sentenced to prison in Fall River Superior Court on 125 charges," Fall River Reporter, Nov. 2026. https://fallriverreporter.com/former-owner-of-swansea-used-car-business-sentenced-to-prison-in-fall-river-superior-court-on-125-charges/

---

Corrections and updates: If you are named in this article, or represent someone who is, and believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date (including a dismissal, acquittal, or change in case status), please contact us at editorandchief@scammers.com. We will review it and update the article promptly.