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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that two New York men were indicted today
on charges related to a stolen automobile
ring.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Radomir Pawel Drozdzil, aka Paul
Drozdzil, 23, of Staten Island, was charged
with second- and third-degree conspiracy
and second- and third-degree receiving stolen
property, as well as fencing and alteration
of motor vehicle trademarks or identification
numbers, both in the third degree. Edward
Obszanski, aka Eddie Obszanski, 54, of Brooklyn,
was charged with second-degree conspiracy,
second-degree receiving stolen property
and third-degree alteration of motor vehicle
trademarks or identification numbers.
The
Union County grand jury indictment alleges
that between February and November 2005,
Obszanski, the owner and operator of Polan
Auto Body in Newark, and Drozdzil conspired
to take possession of three stolen motor
vehicles, bring them into the state, alter
the vehicle identification numbers, and
then sell and/or use them. The vehicles
included a 2006 Chevrolet Trail Blazer,
valued at approximately $35,705, which was
stolen from DeFelice Chevrolet on Route
88 in Point Pleasant; a 2005 Dodge Caravan,
valued at approximately $28,650, which was
stolen from Ephram Dodge in Mt. Ephram;
and a 2005 Cadillac Escalade, valued at
approximately $57,281, which was stolen
from a private owner in Lavale, Canada.
The
charges stem from an ongoing investigation
into a stolen vehicle ring in North Jersey.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor previously
filed charges against Daniel Sokolski and
Artur Czubek. On October 4, 2006, Czubek
pleaded guilty to second-degree leading
an auto theft trafficking network. On February
16, 2007, he was sentenced to four years
in state prison and ordered to pay $178,134
in restitution to several insurance companies.
Sokolski was charged on April 21, 2007,
with third-degree receiving stolen property.
On July 20, he was sentenced to one year
probation, and ordered to perform 100 hours
community service.
State
Investigators Jeffrey Lorman, Jarek Pyrzanowski,
Analysts Paula Carter and Barbara Ziolowski
and Deputy Attorney General Jacqueline Smith
were assigned to the investigation. Smith
presented the case to the Union County grand
jury.
“Frequently
insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence
of stolen automobiles and alteration of
automobile VIN’s,” said Fraud
Prosecutor Brown. “This office will
continue to follow evidence of fraud and
theft wherever it leads.”
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum
sentence of 10 years in state prison and
a criminal fine of $150,000, while third-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of five
years in state prison and a criminal fine
of $15,000.
Prosecutor
Brown noted that some important cases have
started with anonymous tips. People who
are concerned about insurance cheating and
have information about 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.
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