Tag:

Theft by deception

South Jersey Man Who Stole $50K From Grieving Families In Headstone Scam Indicted: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Who Stole $50K From Grieving Families In Headstone Scam Indicted: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Who Stole $50K From Grieving Families In Headstone Scam Indicted: Prosecutors A Mays Landing man who operated a headstone business has been indicted after he was accused of defrauding more than 30 grieving families out of about $50,000, authorities said. 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 …
Man Impersonated Closed Electrical Contractor To Scam South Jersey Homeowner, Police Say Man Impersonated Closed Electrical Contractor To Scam South Jersey Homeowner, Police Say
Man Impersonated Closed Electrical Contractor To Scam South Jersey Homeowner, Police Say A Mount Laurel man was accused of impersonating the owner of a closed electrical contractor, scamming a Medford Township resident out of thousands of dollars, authorities said. Vincent Squire, 61, was given eight charges, the Medford Township Police Department said in a news release. A Medford resident paid $4,675 to Squire to hire CB's Electrical Contracting, LLC in May to perform electrical work at their home.  During the job, the homeowner reportedly discovered that Squire had failed to secure an electrical permit. The victim needed to hire another…
NJ Man Charged With Defrauding Victim In Loan Scheme Involving Batmobile, Ghostbusters Hearse NJ Man Charged With Defrauding Victim In Loan Scheme Involving Batmobile, Ghostbusters Hearse
NJ Man Charged With Defrauding Victim In Loan Scheme Involving Batmobile, Ghostbusters Hearse A 38-year-old Warren County man was charged on Wednesday, Oct. 23 for defrauding a 91-year-old man who loaned him money, after having settled the case in court, Daily Voice has learned. In May 2021, a 91-year-old Clarksburg resident loaned Asbury resident Christopher Sterlacci $400,000, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson and Hunterdon County Chief of Detectives Timothy Drew said. Several vehicles and properties were put up as collateral by Sterlacci for the loan, authorities said. After defaulting on the terms of the loan, it was discovered that the properties and vehi…
Ex-NJ Bank Employee Stole $1M From Customer, Used Money To Fund Business Ventures: Cops Ex-NJ Bank Employee Stole $1M From Customer, Used Money To Fund Business Ventures: Cops
Ex-NJ Bank Employee Stole $1M From Customer, Used Money To Fund Business Ventures: Cops A former bank employee has been charged with stealing nearly $1 million from a customer whom he'd befriended then invested the money in side business ventures, authorities in Burlington County announced. Agha Hasan, 41, of Bordentown, is facing a litany of charges including theft by deception and tax evasion stemming from the  $998,188 in stolen money, dating back to 2018, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. The investigation began last year after fraud investigators for Santander Bank contacted police about questionable transactions conducted and overseen by Ha…
NJ Man Stole $39K From Grieving Families, Never Delivered Headstones: Prosecutors NJ Man Stole $39K From Grieving Families, Never Delivered Headstones: Prosecutors
NJ Man Stole $39K From Grieving Families, Never Delivered Headstones: Prosecutors An Atlantic County headstone business owner was accused of stealing nearly $40,000 from customers who never received their orders, authorities said. Jiolio "Joe" Cincotti, 71, of Mays Landing, was charged with several counts of theft by deception, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He was the owner of Atlantic Memorials, a company that claimed to make and sell headstones for graves. Investigators said more than 24 victims ordered headstones for family members between October 2020 and October 2023. Cincotti accepted payments but never delivered the headstones and…
Scammer Tried Stealing $20K From Elderly Couple In South Jersey: Police Scammer Tried Stealing $20K From Elderly Couple In South Jersey: Police
Scammer Tried Stealing $20K From Elderly Couple In South Jersey: Police A Jersey City man was accused of trying to scam an elderly Atlantic County couple out of $20,000, authorities said. Vamshihar Katikreddy, 25, was arrested on Tuesday, Apr. 2, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department said in a news release. He was charged with theft by deception, impersonation of a law enforcement officer, and conspiracy. Egg Harbor Township police responded to a home in the Harbor Woods neighborhood at around 5 p.m. after a woman reported her parents in their 80s were scammed out of $20,000. The scammer claimed to be from the FBI and he was coming to their home t…
Jersey Shore Woman Accused Of Stealing $100K From Construction Company: Police Jersey Shore Woman Accused Of Stealing $100K From Construction Company: Police
Jersey Shore Woman Accused Of Stealing $100K From Construction Company: Police An Ocean County woman was accused of stealing more than $100,000 from a construction company, authorities said. Dawn Sanzari, 50, of Forked River, was arrested on Monday, Mar. 25, the Stafford Township Police Department said in a news release. She was charged with second-degree theft by deception and fraudulent use of a credit card. Stafford police received a report of a theft from a construction company on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Macko Construction reported that more than $100,000 was stolen from its business account. Sanzari was released pending a future court appearance.
Former NJ Elections Official Sentenced In OT Scheme, Paying Workers To Clean Mother's House Former NJ Elections Official Sentenced In OT Scheme, Paying Workers To Clean Mother's House
Former NJ Elections Official Sentenced In OT Scheme, Paying Workers To Clean Mother's House A former Atlantic County elections official is sentenced after pleading guilty to a kickback scheme nearly seven years ago, authorities said. Michael Gibbons, 38, of Glendora was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 12 to four years probation, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced on Monday, Jan. 22. The conditions of Gibbons' probation require him to spend 364 days in Atlantic County Jail, which can be served by day reporting. Gibbons pleaded guilty on Thursday, Apr. 6 to third-degree and fourth-degree theft by deception. The charges stem from when Gibbons was the county's …
GUILTY: Woman Defrauded Medicaid By Billing For NJ Ex's Care While Really At Work In Michigan GUILTY: Woman Defrauded Medicaid By Billing For NJ Ex's Care While Really At Work In Michigan
Guilty: Woman Defrauded Medicaid By Billing For NJ Ex's Care While Really At Work In Michigan A substitute teacher from Michigan was convicted of billing Medicaid for giving care to her stroke-stricken Morris County ex-boyfriend while she was actually back home at work. Michael Ann Ellis, 62, of Flint, MI, was found guilty by jurors in Morristown who heard testimony from, among others, a schools superintendent from her district during a four-day trial, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Evidence also included timesheets and payroll records with school locations, dates, and hours for more than four years that Ellis collected $45,000 from the New Jersey Medicaid Prog…
NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments
NJ Woman, 72, Indicted For Using Dead Caregiver's Info To Keep Collecting Insurance Payments A 72-year-old New Jersey woman used phony timesheets and a bogus bank account from a dead caregiver to fraudulently collect insurance payments for long-term care from him, state authorities charged. Leoncia Hutchinson of Metuchen deposited the payments from the Continental Casualty Company into a dedicated account, then slid the funds back into her own, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. For six months, Hutchinson treated the man’s death as “a moneymaking opportunity,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in announcing the indictment on Wednesday, Nov.…
Cape May County Phone Scammers Claimed They Were From Amazon, DEA: Prosecutor Cape May County Phone Scammers Claimed They Were From Amazon, DEA: Prosecutor
Cape May County Phone Scammers Claimed They Were From Amazon, DEA: Prosecutor Two people have been arrested in connection with a phone scam, authorities said. On Aug. 29, the victim in this investigation received a call from a subject claiming to be from Amazon Customer Service, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, This individual claimed that they were calling because of an issue with a purchase and the victim’s identity was stolen. The victim was subsequently transferred to another individual claiming to be from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The victim was then told that there were multiple bank a…
Atlantic City Police Payroll Employee Billed For Hours She Wasn't At Work: Prosecutor Atlantic City Police Payroll Employee Billed For Hours She Wasn't At Work: Prosecutor
Atlantic City Police Payroll Employee Billed For Hours She Wasn't At Work: Prosecutor A civilian employee of the Atlantic City Police Department, who was in charge of payroll, billed for hours of work when she wasn't at work, authorities said. Suzanne Ricketts, 43, of Pleasantville, was indicted by an Atlantic County grand jury for official misconduct, theft by deception, and computer crimes on Thursday, July 20, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. In 2020, the Atlantic City Police Department began investigating alleged discrepancies in Ricketts’ timesheets, the prosecutor said. Review of the surveillance and computer systems showed differen…
Police Seize $360K From Home Of Alleged Elderly Scam Artist In South Jersey Police Seize $360K From Home Of Alleged Elderly Scam Artist In South Jersey
Police Seize $360K From Home Of Alleged Elderly Scam Artist In South Jersey Police in South Jersey seized about $360,000 when they searched the home of an alleged elderly scam artist, authorities said. Michelle Mendonca 42, of Galloway Township was charged with fraud, theft by deception and money laundering for scamming elderly out-of-state residents, Galloway police said. She was arrested at her home on South Pitney Road on Friday, July 14 at 10:35 a.m., they said. Officers of the Galloway Township Police Department conducted a warranted search of her home regarding a multi-state elder fraud investigation. Detective Tim Giberson of the Galloway Township Police D…
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Gerrmaioud Chape was no stranger to police and prosecutors in Bergen County. So it wasn’t surprising to some when county prosecutors charged him with stealing $525,000 from unwitting investors through mortgage fraud. Chape, 43, already had a petty criminal history that included arrests for speeding, shoplifting and drugs when Bogota police charged him in 2015 with pocketing $40,000 that a Colombian brother and sister saved to come to America. The money was supposed to be a down payment on a mortgage for the siblings’ new home, authorities said at the time, but Chape used it instead on pers…
Park Ranger Billed Mercer County 298 Hours Of Work While At Home: Prosecutor Park Ranger Billed Mercer County 298 Hours Of Work While At Home: Prosecutor
Park Ranger Billed Mercer County 298 Hours Of Work While At Home: Prosecutor A park ranger from Mercer County spent about 298 hours at home when he said he was at work, a complaint shows. James J. Romano III falsified 64 patrol logs between July 27, 2002, and Jan. 17, 2023, which totaled 298.5 hours and $5,728 in stolen wages, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. Romano III, 34, of Hamilton, was charged in March with official misconduct, tampering with public records and theft by deception, according to the complaint.
HEARTLESS: NJ Woman, 22, Charged With Conning Elderly Man In Grandparent Scam HEARTLESS: NJ Woman, 22, Charged With Conning Elderly Man In Grandparent Scam
Heartless: NJ Woman, 22, Charged With Conning Elderly Man In Grandparent Scam Authorities have charged a 22-year-old Paterson woman with scamming an elderly Florida resident who was told that his son-in-law needed bail money. Flor Loveras was charged with theft by deception and conspiracy following a lengthy investigation that began more than three years ago, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. She was released pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson sometime before the end of the month, the prosecutor said on Monday, Feb. 13. The 76-year-old victim was contacted in October 2019 by someone claiming to be a bail bonds…
GOTCHA! 'Daughter In Trouble' Scammer Gets Punked By Paramus Police GOTCHA! 'Daughter In Trouble' Scammer Gets Punked By Paramus Police
Gotcha! 'Daughter In Trouble' Scammer Gets Punked By Paramus Police A cold-hearted scammer who tried to trick a Paramus woman out of $15,000 got duped herself, authorities said. The resident called borough police after getting a call from someone claiming to be a Hackensack police officer, Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg explained. The purported officer told her that her daughter had been arrested and needed bail money -- 15 large, in fact, the chief said. A courier named "Daisy" was going to pick up the cash to be delivered to her daughter's attorney, the caller said. Paramus Police Officer Nicole Capone spoke with the would-be victim, then …
Ex-Con From Viral Jersey Shore Arrest Video Charged With 1,500 Heroin Bags, Pounds Of Pot, More Ex-Con From Viral Jersey Shore Arrest Video Charged With 1,500 Heroin Bags, Pounds Of Pot, More
Ex-Con From Viral Jersey Shore Arrest Video Charged With 1,500 Heroin Bags, Pounds Of Pot, More An ex-con whose Point Pleasant boardwalk arrest became part of a viral video was busted once again on drug charges, this time along with his roommate, authorities said. A SWAT team led a raid on the Grand Street apartment in Garfield that Zakee Murphy, 32, shares with fish tank technician Ryene Perry, 34, landing both in jail on various drug-related counts, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Murphy has been arrested dozens of times in multiple counties over the past decade, records show. This time he's accused of using the Garfield home to stash the drugs along with more than $8,…
Unregistered Home Contractor Charged With $150K In 'Improvement' Thefts On Jersey Shore Unregistered Home Contractor Charged With $150K In 'Improvement' Thefts On Jersey Shore
Unregistered Home Contractor Charged With $150K In 'Improvement' Thefts On Jersey Shore A 35-year-old Ocean County man was charged with theft by deception for home contracting, authorities said. On Thursday, June 23, Toms River Police Detective Robert O’Neill arrested and charged Robert Cohan, of Lakehurst, with theft as well as multiple counts of unregistered home improvement contracting, police said. Beginning in February, and continuing through May, Cohan allegedly targeted the residents of the Gardens of Pleasant Plains in a home improvement contracting scheme. He was soliciting the residents to do driveway, sidewalk, as well as roof, door and othe…
Camden Man Stole $18K From Woman In 'Grandson Jail' Scam, Prosecutor Says Camden Man Stole $18K From Woman In 'Grandson Jail' Scam, Prosecutor Says
Camden Man Stole $18K From Woman In 'Grandson Jail' Scam, Prosecutor Says A Camden man has been indicted for scamming an elderly woman out of $16,000 by falsely claiming the money was needed to bail her grandson out of jail, authorities said. A grand jury charged Yadiel Gonzalez, of Atlantic Avenue in Camden, with theft by deception, they said. The indictment was returned on Friday, May 20 and signed by Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. An arraignment is scheduled for July 5 in Superior Court. The investigation began last year when a woman contacted Palmyra Borough police to report the scam, Coffina said. The investigation revealed that the initial con…
PUNKED! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead PUNKED! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead
Punked! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead A pair of flim-flammers who thought they’d fooled a Teaneck grandfather into forking over $25,500 to get a supposedly drunk-driving family member out of jail found the tables turned when they showed up to collect, authorities said. The “victim” who held an envelope stuffed with the supposed cash as he stood waiting for the two Plainfield teens on a township street was actually a Teaneck police detective clutching worthless paper, they said. Police had been alerted by the would-be victim after he got a call from one of the wanna-be con artists, Police Chief Glenn M. O’Reilly said. Pretendin…
Jersey City Man Buys $10K In Wood Flooring With Bogus Credit Card In Paramus: Police Jersey City Man Buys $10K In Wood Flooring With Bogus Credit Card In Paramus: Police
Jersey City Man Buys $10K In Wood Flooring With Bogus Credit Card In Paramus: Police A Jersey City man turned himself in Monday, May 9 after police say he used a bogus credit card to purchase thousands of dollars worth of products in New Jersey and Nebraska. A three-month investigation led police to Kyle Halsey, 32, who they say used a stolen credit card and fake identification to buy $10,000 worth of wood flooring from Carpet World on Route 17 in Paramus on Feb. 10, Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said. The flooring was delivered to a storage unit in Ho Ho Kus by a legitimate delivery service that was not involved in the fraud, according to the chief. The inve…
NY Woman Nearly Scammed 80-Year-Old Hamilton Man Out Of $15K, Police Say NY Woman Nearly Scammed 80-Year-Old Hamilton Man Out Of $15K, Police Say
NY Woman Nearly Scammed 80-Year-Old Hamilton Man Out Of $15K, Police Say A New York woman was charged after police say she tried — and almost succeeded — in scamming an 80-year-old Hamilton man out of $15,000. Mildreth Santamaria-Tirado, 40, of Corona, is accused of trying to fraudulently collect $15,000 from a Hamilton man on Friday, April 15, the Hamilton Police Division said. The victim received a call from a man claiming to be from the FBI stating that his daughter had been arrested for possessing 100 pounds of marijuana earlier that day, police said. The man allegedly told the victim that he would have to pay 10 percent of a $200,000 bail to secure his dau…
Five From NJ Charged With Pocketing More Than $1M From Aircraft Equipment Scam Five From NJ Charged With Pocketing More Than $1M From Aircraft Equipment Scam
Five From NJ Charged With Pocketing More Than $1M From Aircraft Equipment Scam A crew of con artists from New Jersey swindled more than $1 million from businesses nationwide that thought they were buying aircraft equipment and replacement parts, state authorities charged. For five years, the thieves cut deals online for the purported sale of specialized equipment, including airline ground support parts and hydraulic jacks, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. As soon as the payments arrived, members of the crew either made a bunch of cash withdrawals or slid the money into a Somerset County accomplice's account, Platkin said. The buyers got bup…
BUSTED: Bronx Couple Scammed Nearly $10K From Elderly South Jersey Woman, Police Say BUSTED: Bronx Couple Scammed Nearly $10K From Elderly South Jersey Woman, Police Say
Busted: Bronx Couple Scammed Nearly $10K From Elderly South Jersey Woman, Police Say A man and woman from the Bronx were caught by police after they allegedly scammed nearly $10,000 from an elderly South Jersey resident. Raul Santos-Marte, 39, and Karina De Los Santos-Polanco, 34, called the victim claiming to represent her nephew on Tuesday, March 1, Hamilton Police said in a news release. The pair told the victim that her nephew had been arrested for crashing into a pregnant woman while drunk driving before another party got on the phone and claimed to represent an attorney with the Legal Aid Society out of Manchester, NY, and asked for $9,800 in cash, police said. The v…
'Magician' Had Accomplice Distract Roulette Dealer To Steal $10K From PA Casino: Police 'Magician' Had Accomplice Distract Roulette Dealer To Steal $10K From PA Casino: Police
'Magician' Had Accomplice Distract Roulette Dealer To Steal $10K From PA Casino: Police "Artist. Magician. Creator. Illusionist."  That's how Shaun Benward describes himself on social media pages. Police have a descriptive for Benward of their own: Thief. Benward — who was placed on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's exclusion list in 2015 — has been accused of using the art of distraction with help from accomplice Denile Derohan to defraud a casino in Pennsylvania, according to multiple media outlets citing an affidavit filed by the state police. Benward, 35, had Derohan, 42, distract the dealers while playing roulette at Pittsburgh's River Casino, …
Men Wanted In NJ Grandparent Scam After Pretending To Be Jailed Grandkids: Prosecutor Men Wanted In NJ Grandparent Scam After Pretending To Be Jailed Grandkids: Prosecutor
Men Wanted In NJ Grandparent Scam After Pretending To Be Jailed Grandkids: Prosecutor A pair of New York men are wanted by authorities for pretending to be New Jersey residents' jailed grandchildren asking for bail money, scamming them out of thousands of dollars, authorities said. Jorge Peguero-Mendez, 34, and Richard Quinones-Perez, 24, both of the Bronx, New York, are wanted on charges of theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. An elderly victim from Barnegat was contacted in December 2021 by an individual claiming to be her grandson, authorities said. The individual informed her that he had b…
State: Jersey Shore Chiropractor, 73, With Fraud History Files 261 Bogus Insurance Claims State: Jersey Shore Chiropractor, 73, With Fraud History Files 261 Bogus Insurance Claims
State: Jersey Shore Chiropractor, 73, With Fraud History Files 261 Bogus Insurance Claims A Bayonne-based chiropractor from the Jersey Shore with an insurance fraud conviction already on his record did it again, state authorities charged. Charles B. Boas, 73, of Matawan, got probation seven years ago after pleading guilty to collecting nearly $13,000 through bogus claims, records show. State officials announced Wednesday that they'd caught him in an even bigger scam -- this time involving hundreds of false submissions to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. A grand jury in Trenton indicted Boas on 261 counts involving health care claims fraud, theft by deception and tax evasions, Ac…
Grandparent Bail Scam Is Foiled By Middletown Police Grandparent Bail Scam Is Foiled By Middletown Police
Grandparent Bail Scam Is Foiled By Middletown Police A 36-year-old man from the Bronx was arrested after trying to steal money from a Central Jersey woman through a "bail scam," authorities said. Oscal Novas Bastista was arrested by Middletown police at 3:55 p.m. Wednesday when he arrived at the victim's Middletown home to pick up "bail money" for her grandson, police said. The woman had gotten a call from someone claiming her grandson had been arrested and needed money to get out of jail, police said inj a press statement. The victim contacted police, who were able to quickly respond and apprehend the suspect at the scene, they said. …