2 indicted on theft charges BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer MATAWAN- Alocal man has been indicted on multiple counts of theft by deception, identity theft, deceptive business practices and defrauding secured creditors, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Salvatore Rivello, 56, ofMatawan, and Michael Kouvaras, 55, of Maplewood, were indicted on a total of 18 counts by a Monmouth County grand jury on March 12. According to a press release from the prosecutor's office, Rivello was charged with one count of second-degree theft by deception, four counts of third-degree identity theft and one count of fourth-degree deceptive business practices. Rivello worked as a salesman for Kouvaras, who owned Chrysler of Eatontown. A criminal investigation was launched by the Prosecutor's Office and the Eatontown Police Department after the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission closed and suspended the dealership's business license in January 2007 for numerous code violations. The prosecutor's office was also alerted to allegations that the dealership was involved with fraudulent loans and identity theft, the press release states. The investigation revealed that 18 fraudulent loans with a total value in excess of $715,000 were processed through Chrysler of Eatontown between August and December 2006. Financial institutions that were defrauded include PNC Bank, Capital One, Bank of America and North Fork Bank, according to the prosecutor's office. Rivello was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail, which was set by state Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson.