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Garfield Man Conned Buddy Out Of $1.5M To Blow At Casinos, Fund Restaurant: Feds

A New Jersey man who admitted to conning a friend out of $1.5 million on a fake investment scheme in Boston to fund his restaurant and casino vacations will serve 18 months in prison, authorities announced. 

A 48-year-old Garfield, New Jersey, man admitted to swindling his friend of $1.5 million to fund a gambling addiction and a restaurant in the Bronx, New York, federal authorities said. He'll spend 18 months behind bars for the scam. 

A 48-year-old Garfield, New Jersey, man admitted to swindling his friend of $1.5 million to fund a gambling addiction and a restaurant in the Bronx, New York, federal authorities said. He'll spend 18 months behind bars for the scam. 

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Carles Rabada

Edwin Tavarez, 48, of Garfield, N.J., pleaded guilty to wire fraud in May and was sentenced on Monday, Dec. 18, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He must also repay the $1,515,836 million he stole. 

Tavarez conned a decades-long friend into "investing" in an industrial property in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, authorities said. Tavarez told his friend they could make upwards of $17 million by converting the land into condominiums and a shopping center.

From March 2015 through February 2020, Tavarez gaslit his friend with fake updates on the development through text messages and claimed the lack of progress was because of permit problems, engineering concerns, and governmental bureaucracy, federal authorities said. 

In truth, he never reached out to the property owner to discuss purchasing the land, and it was never for sale, authorities continued. 

He used the money to fund his restaurant in the Bronx, New York, and go on more than 100 gambling trips to two Connecticut casinos, the prosecutor said. 

Tavarez stopped responding to his friend's text messages in 2020, which prompted police to get involved, officials said. 

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