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A grand jury handed down the indictment against 71-year-old Jiolio "Joe" Cincotti on Thursday, Dec. 12, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He was charged with third-degree theft by deception and money laundering offenses after taking payments for headstones that were never delivered.
Investigators said between October 2020 and December 2023, Cincotti owned and operated Atlantic Memorials. The Mays Landing business purportedly specialized in custom grave markers.
Customers placed orders for headstones for dead loved ones but prosecutors said Cincotti pocketed the payments and failed to deliver the headstones or issue refunds. The total losses for the victims were estimated to be $50,000.
According to the Better Business Bureau's website, eight customers of Atlantic Memorials have filed complaints. The BBB said it couldn't locate the business and mail sent to its listed address was returned.
The only review posted on the BBB page for Atlantic Memorials on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, asked for a refund for a $1,450 order.
"Atlantic Memorials took my payment for my mother's headstone on 1/11/23, and never produced her headstone," the reviewer said. "My mother died on 7/23/22 and her grave has been without a headstone all this time. My family and I are extremely upset and distressed about this."
The only two Yelp reviews for Atlantic Memorials also said headstones weren't delivered.
"Joe Cincotti is a liar and continues to screw grieving people over," said one Yelp reviewer on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. "It has been a year and [a] half since I ordered a grave marker. It's almost two years since my mom passed with no marker on her grave site. If you too have been taken advantage of by this "business," please file a complaint with [the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs]."
Anyone with information about Cincotti should call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7666. You can also send an anonymous tip online at ACPO.tips.
You can also call the Crime Stoppers of Atlantic County at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS).
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