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The penalties were the results of "Operation Safe Move," a state-led undercover operation targeting movers doing business without being licensed by the Division, as required by law, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said (scroll for a list of companies and what they're being fined).
The civil enforcement investigation was conducted over a three-day period in June, in which investigators with the Division’s Office of Consumer Protection (“OCP”) posed as consumers seeking to move their belongings from a storage unit in Monroe Township to another location within the state, Platkin said. The investigators identified numerous unlicensed movers advertising online and hired them for a “move.”
On June 12, 2024, the movers hired by the OCP investigators appeared at the Monroe location, expecting to find a storage unit full of items to load, and were instead met by a team of OCP investigators seeking verification of licensure.
Also awaiting the movers were members of the New Jersey State Police (“NJSP”) Mobile Safe Freight Unit, who conducted motor vehicle safety inspections on their trucks.
Twenty-one of the movers were assessed $5,000 civil penalties for operating without licenses. Two companies, Tera Movers, LLC, of Newark and Piece of Cake Moving, of Queens, New York, were cited as second-time offenders and assessed enhanced civil penalties of $10,000 each.
The following companies were fined, according to the AG:
- Lodi: Mateusz L J Services LLC owned by Frank Diaz
- Willingboro Daniels All Around Moving Service owned by Isaiah J Daniels
- Willingboro: Hoop There It Is, Julian Gonzales
- Palmyra: MS Moving, Inc. d/b/a MS Moving & Storage, Rubens Rubeiro
- Ocean City: Eric Rowell's Moving and Haulting, Eric Rowell
- East Orange: Hope Trucking and Moving, Raunell Hope
- Newark: Tera Moving LLC. Franklin D. Arce Gutierrez
- Williamstown: C&T Mini Moves, Christopher DeMitri
- Bayonne: AJS Moving Services LLC: Ibrahim Seck
- Jersey City: First Class Express Movers, Mohamed MAnsouri
- Hoboken: Tommy’s Moving, Thomas Morrissey
- East Brunswick: Blue Orchard Moving, Steven P Elkin
- Edison: A-Vision Services LLC /Moving With A Vision, Ali Ashour and Taha Bouftila
- Beachwood: Beety Trucking, Jonathan Beety
- Haskell: Good Mood Moving, Yevgen Shpylyevy
- Paterson: Signature Van Lines, Amer Mousa
- Bound Brook: ANT Movers LLC, Anthony DeFelice
- Somerset: Franklin Reliable Movers, Kwan Franklin
- Somerset: Kelvin Daniels Moving Services, Kelvin A. Daniels
- Hillsborough: Moving Crew NJ LLC, Ian Imber
- Brooklyn, NY: Official Moving & Storage, Dimitri Svirsky
- Spring Valley, NY: Family Touch Moving, Rahsean H Thompson
Queens, NY: Piece of Cake Moving & Storage, Vojin Popovic
“Unlicensed movers can be a consumer’s worst nightmare,” said Attorney General Platkin. “These rogue operators are doing business outside regulatory oversight and often lack the necessary skills, experience, and insurance to protect the belongings entrusted to them. By proactively identifying and putting a stop to these businesses, we’re reducing the risk they pose to New Jersey residents.”
Under New Jersey’s laws and regulations, all intrastate movers—those performing residential moves that both begin and end in this state—must be licensed by the Division’s Regulated Business Unit.
They are also required to observe statutes and regulations pertaining to the storage and transportation of household goods, including that they maintain cargo liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and bodily injury and property damage insurance.
Movers also must provide the Division with proof of vehicle registration and insurance coverage and must include the mover’s license number on the outside of the vehicle, as required by State regulations. Movers also must provide a consumer with a written estimate of the costs of the move. There are approximately 309 licensed public movers in New Jersey.
“New Jersey’s legal and regulatory requirements are in place to protect the consumers and their possessions,” said Cari Fais, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “We urge residents to make sure they hire a mover from the pool of businesses licensed to provide services in compliance with those requirements.”
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