Barnstable Police Press Release: Identity Fraud Arrest

HYANNIS- Barnstable Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Barnstable District Attorney’s Office ended a month long investigation related to Identity Fraud by a local Hyannis Car Dealer.

On March 9, 2007, Carz of Cape Cod Manager Salvatore J. Possenti was arrested by Barnstable Police Sergeant Kevin Tynan and Trooper Rob Smith on a “John Doe” warrant charging him with several counts of Identity Fraud.

Following his arrest, Possenti was identified as Francis A. Schacht, age 43.  Schacht is a fugitive from the Boston area.  He was indicted in 1994 for Heroin Distribution and an arrest warrant was issued from the Norfolk County Superior Court.

Schacht has a lengthy criminal history for narcotics violations and fled to Cape Cod around 2000.  He then assumed the identity of Salvatore J. Possenti.  He has been in the car business in Hyannis for over five years using the name Salvatore J. Possenti.

Schacht has appeared in Barnstable District Court, Town of Barnstable License hearings, and had a Class 2 Car Dealers license issued to him posing as Salvatore J. Possenti. 

Schacht’s life on the run began to unravel when the “real” Salvatore J. Possenti recently contacted Sergeant Tynan.

Sergeant Tynan had issued a traffic ticket to Schacht in May of 2004.  Schacht had no identification but claimed to be Possenti by providing Sergeant Tynan with Possenti’s correct date of birth and social security number.

The “real” Possenti lives in Webster, MA and does not travel to the Cape.  He saw the 2004 traffic ticket on his driver history and contacted Sergeant Tynan.

Schacht is being held at the Barnstable Police Facility with no bail for the Norfolk County Superior Indictment warrants and other identity fraud charges until his appearance in Barnstable District Court on Monday morning.