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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Marlboro Township man and his family’s
corporation have pleaded guilty to their
roles in a stolen automobile trafficking
ring.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Patryk Zygadlo, 29, of Marlboro Township,
pleaded guilty yesterday before Superior
Court Judge Stuart Peim in Union County
to second-degree conspiracy and third-degree
insurance fraud. The charges were contained
in a Feb. 27 Union County grand jury indictment.
In addition, Tri-State Brick Face, Inc.,
a corporation owned, operated and controlled
by Zygadlo and other family members, located
at 364 Mount Mills Road, Monroe, pleaded
guilty to a criminal accusation which charged
third-degree receiving stolen property.
At
the guilty plea hearing, Zygadlo admitted
that between May 13, 2003 and March 24,
2004, he twice altered the vehicle identification
number of a red 2003 Ford Expedition Eddie
Bauer, which had been stolen from Sunshine
Ford Lincoln Mercury in Newburgh, N.Y. Zygadlo
admitted that he changed the VIN number
the first time in order to commit insurance
fraud and theft by deception. Zygadlo reported
the vehicle stolen to the New Brunswick
Police Department and subsequently submitted
two claims to State Farm – one for
$2,972 for a rental car and another for
$26,685 for the value of the vehicle. State
Farm paid Patryk Zygadlo $3,352 before denying
the second claim for the value of the vehicle.
Zygadlo
also admitted that he changed the VIN number
a second time and conspired with his brother,
Mariusz Zygadlo, 24; his uncle, Marek Zygadlo,
43; and his cousin, Sebastian Bes, 24, all
of Monroe, to resell the vehicle on eBay
to a customer in Idaho for $28,350. The
customer wired the money to Bes’ bank
account. After Bes received the money, he
allegedly wired $7,500 of it to Mariusz
Zygadlo.
Mariusz
Zygadlo, Marek Zygadlo and Bes were all
indicted in the Union County grand jury
indictment on charges related to the auto
theft ring. The charges against the other
defendants are pending.
The
corporation admitted, through its President,
Miroslaw Zygadlo, 54, of Monroe, that it
received three stolen, re-tagged vehicles
– all Ford F-350 pickup trucks –
and used them as part of its business.
State
Investigators Jeffrey Lorman and Jarek Pyrzanowski,
and Deputy Attorneys General Jacqueline
Smith and John Higgins were assigned to
the investigation. Higgins represented the
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at
the guilty plea hearing.
Patryk
Zygadlo and Tri-State Brick Face, Inc. are
scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Second-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of 10
years in state prison and a criminal fine
of up to $150,000 while third-degree crimes
carry a maximum of up to five years in state
prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000.
Zygadlo may also face civil insurance fines.
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.
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