50°
Raphael S. Weiss, 61, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to second-degree computer-related activity and third-degree forgery in exchange for a suspended five-year sentence, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Weiss purchased a historic seven-story commercial building in Riverside Township to develop luxury apartments, Coffina said.
Weiss’s attorney and Riverside officials have agreed to work together for Weiss to surrender the property to another developer, and to ensure all liens have been satisfied, the prosecutor said.
“We are pleased that the defendant has accepted responsibility for his crimes and more importantly, that Riverside soon will be able to move forward with this project with a responsible developer,” Coffina said. “We know how important the Keystone Watch Case Co. is to Riverside’s past, present and future, and look forward to seeing this beautiful building brought back to life, and the positive impact it will have on this community.”
An investigation began in 2020 after a contractor who was negotiating with Weiss to be the electrician of record on the building redevelopment project noticed that electrical work had begun at the North Pavilion Avenue site, even though no formal agreement had been finalized and he had not applied for any permits, Coffina said.
After allegedly being denied access to the construction site by Weiss, the electrician went to the Township construction office and was told that 36 permits had already been issued in his name and in the name of his business for work to be done at the property, Coffina said.
Further examination revealed that the electrician’s signature had been forged on the permits, which were applied for by Weiss, and a counterfeit version of the contractor’s state-issued embossing seal had been used to make an imprint, Coffina said.
The investigation revealed that Weiss initiated the scheme as a way to reduce construction costs by fraudulently utilizing the credentials of the licensed electrician to obtain the necessary permits, then allegedly hiring unlicensed, unqualified laborers to complete the work at a much less expensive rate, Coffina said.
The electrical work completed after the fraudulent permits were obtained failed to pass inspection, Coffina said.
The Keystone Watch Case Co. building was constructed in 1908 and manufactured gold cases for watches. The company employed more than 1,000 employees in 1918, making it the largest watch case manufacturer in the world.
The company closed in 1956, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was purchased in 2016 by Brooklyn-based SimShabs Capital Partners LTD, of which Weiss is owner and president.
The plans submitted by Weiss to Riverside Township indicated that the iconic landmark, which has a prominent, highly visible clock tower rising above the roofline, would be converted into 64 luxury apartments.
Weiss is scheduled for sentencing on March 23.
Weiss is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy, supervisor of the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit, and Assistant Prosecutor Andrew McDonnell, supervisor of the BCPO Insurance Fraud Unit.
The investigation was conducted by detectives from the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit and the Riverside Township Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Nicholas Schieber and Riverside Lt. Louis Fisher.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Washington Township and receive free news updates.
