From the outside, Bristol County Auto Exchange looked like your average used car lot tucked along Route 6 in Swansea, Massachusetts. But prosecutors say car dealer Edward Cicciu ran a very different kind of business behind that sign.
On April 10, Cicciu, who’s 46, stood before a judge in Fall River Superior Court, facing a mountain of charges: 125 in total, including multiple counts of larceny, forgery, and misuse of RMV documents. This all stems from what prosecutors allege was a sweeping fraud scheme that unfolded between October 2023 and September 2024.
Cicciu allegedly sold vehicles he didn’t legally own. He acquired the cars on loan from auctions, never paid them off, and sold them without proper documentation. Customers handed over their money in good faith, expecting plates, paperwork, and clean titles. Instead, they got phony New Jersey temp tags and empty promises. When buyers followed up, the calls stopped getting answered…