2 plead guilty in ride-hailing fake driver account scheme

BOSTON (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty to their roles in what federal prosecutors say was a nationwide scheme that used stolen identities to fool ride-hailing and delivery service companies into hiring drivers not qualified to work for them. Federal prosecutors in Boston say Edvaldo Rocha Cabral, of Lowell, Massachusetts, and Julio Vieira Braga, of Daly City, California, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the defendants created fraudulent accounts with ride-hailing and delivery companies that were sold or rented to drivers who might not otherwise qualify for jobs with those services.