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TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today
for his role in an auto theft ring responsible
for thefts of more than $3 million worth
of vehicles.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Patrick Gutorski, 32, of Lake Ariel,
Pa., pleaded guilty before Superior Court
Judge John S. Triarisi in Union County to
a criminal accusation which charged him
with second-degree conspiracy to commit
racketeering and second-degree racketeering.
At
the guilty plea hearing, Gutorski admitted
that he was a member of an organized enterprise
that stole cars, re-tagged them using counterfeit
and salvaged titles, and sold them, frequently
on the Internet through eBay. A re-tagged
or re-plated vehicle is a vehicle which
has had its original vehicle identification
number plate removed so that a VIN from
another vehicle, usually a vehicle which
has been damaged in an accident and which
is a salvage vehicle, can be affixed to
the stolen vehicle to disguise that it was
stolen.
On
Feb. 8, two other Pennsylvania men pleaded
guilty in this case before Judge Moynihan.
The leader of the ring, Dariusz Grabowski,
also known as Derek Grabowski, 37, of Lake
Ariel, pleaded guilty to second-degree leader
of organized crime, second-degree conspiracy
to commit racketeering and second-degree
racketeering; and his brother Krzysztof
Grabowski, 26, of Lake Ariel, pleaded guilty
to second-degree conspiracy to commit racketeering,
second-degree racketeering and third-degree
alteration of a vehicle identification number.
It
is believed that more than 150 stolen vehicles
with a total value in excess of $3 million
were stolen, re-tagged, and sold by this
auto theft ring
Dariusz
Grabowski falsely portrayed himself as a
locksmith licensed in New York to obtain
automobile key codes from a company known
as Key Code Express in Florida.
A
key code is a code used in connection with
the manufacture of certain automobile keys
which enables only the key with the proper
code to unlock and start a specific vehicle.
Dariusz Grabowski admitted that he falsely
obtained more than 130 key codes from Key
Code Express, as well as additional codes
from other key code companies. The codes
were used by members of the ring to steal
vehicles, frequently from automobile dealerships.
Gutorski
is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5.
Crimes of the second degree carry sentences
of up to 10 years in state prison and a
criminal fine of up to $150,000. Gutorski
also may face civil insurance fraud fines.
The
Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
participated in this multi-jurisdictional
investigation with the New Jersey State
Police, the Pennsylvania State Police and
the New York Attorney General’s Office.
“Frequently
insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence
of stolen automobiles and alteration of
vehicle identification numbers,” said
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown. “This
particular investigation uncovered a large
auto theft ring. Our investigation is ongoing
and charges against additional persons are
likely.”
State
Investigators Jarek Pyrzanowski, Jeffrey
Lorman, Joseph Luccarelli, and Kelly Howard,
Civil Investigator Gary Miller, Analysts
Paula Carter and Barbara Ziolkowski, and
Deputy Attorneys General Philip J. Mogavero
and Jacqueline Smith coordinated the investigation.
Mogavero represented the Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea hearing.
Also assisting in the investigation were
New Jersey State Police Detective Joseph
Salokas and National Insurance Crime Bureau
Agent Donald Cavallo.
Prosecutor
Brown noted that some important cases have
started with anonymous tips. People who
are concerned about insurance cheating and
have information about a fraud can report
it anonymously by calling the toll-free
hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visiting the Web site www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
State regulations permit an award to be
paid to an eligible person who provides
information that leads to an arrest, prosecution
and conviction for insurance fraud.
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