A Rensselaer County man is accused of stealing 17 vehicles from Capital Region parking lots, over nearly two years.

Those cars and trucks are worth a combined $230,000, according to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

John Rivers, from East Greenbush, owned the towing company Rivers Asset Recovery.

Rivers used his contracts with local businesses to keep track of parking lots, and tow vehicles. Rivers would then illegally sell those vehicles to scrap yards, or used car dealers, the attorney general’s office said.

He’s charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and Scheme to Defraud, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.