|
TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a New York 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, Waldemar Kondzielewski, 29, of Staten
Island, N.Y., pleaded guilty before Superior
Court Judge John S. Triarsi 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, Kondzielewski admitted
that he was a member of an organized enterprise
that used fraudulently obtained key codes
to steal cars programmed with an electronic
code for unlocking and starting. The stolen
cars were re-tagged and sold, frequently
on eBay. A re-tagged or re-plated vehicle
is a vehicle which has had its original
vehicle identification number plate removed
and replaced with a VIN from another vehicle,
usually one that has been damaged in an
accident and is a salvage vehicle. It is
believed that more than 150 stolen vehicles
worth more than $3 million were stolen,
re-tagged, and sold by this ring.
“Through
this multi-jurisdictional investigation,
we have dismantled a major criminal enterprise
responsible for millions of dollars in stolen
cars,” said Attorney General Rabner.
“We will continue to work with our
law enforcement partners in Pennsylvania
and New York to bring those involved to
justice.”
This
is the fourth guilty plea taken by the Office
of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor during the
past two months from individuals responsible
for the auto theft ring. On March 23, Superior
Court Judge Scott J. Moynihan of Union County
sentenced the leader of the ring, Dariusz
Grabowski, also known as Derek Grabowski,
37, of Lake Ariel, Pa., to 20 years in state
prison, with eight years parole ineligibility,
and sentenced his brother Krzysztof Grabowski,
26, of Lake Ariel, to 15 years in prison,
with seven years parole ineligibility. Both
men pleaded guilty on Feb. 8. A third Pennsylvania
man, Patrick Gutorski, 32, of Lake Ariel,
pleaded guilty on Feb. 21 to second-degree
charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering
and racketeering. He is scheduled to be
sentenced on April 5.
Kondzielewski
is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18 before
Judge Moynihan. Crimes of the second degree
carry a sentence of up to 10 years in state
prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000.
Kondzielewski also may face civil insurance
fraud fines.
The
Division of Criminal Justice - Office of
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.
Smith represented the Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea hearing.
New Jersey State Police Detective Joseph
Salokas and National Insurance Crime Bureau
Agent Donald Cavallo also assisted in the
investigation.
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.
The
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was
established by the Automobile Insurance
Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is
the centralized state agency that investigates
and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance
fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.
#
# #
|
