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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Brooklyn man has been named in two
separate state grand jury indictments for
alleged racketeering and participation in
an automobile “give up” scam.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Edward Obszanski, 55, of Brooklyn,
N.Y., the owner and operator of Polan Auto
Body, a repair shop located in Newark, was
charged yesterday in the first indictment
with conspiracy to commit racketeering,
racketeering, receiving stolen property,
and fencing, all in the second degree, as
well as five counts of third-degree altering
of motor vehicle trademark identification
numbers.
According
to Paw, the first indictment alleges that
Obszanski conspired with Dariusz Grabowski,
Krzysztof Grabowski, Patrick Gutorski, Waldemar
Kondzielewski and Artur Czubek to operate
a criminal enterprise engaged in the business
of stealing motor vehicles throughout New
Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The stolen
cars would be retagged for use by members
of the ring or for resale. A retagged automobile
is one in which the vehicle identification
number is removed so that another can be
inserted to conceal that the car was stolen.
The
indictment specifically mentions six stolen
vehicles received by the ring, including
a 2005 Dodge Stratus, a 2003 Cadillac Escalade,
a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, a 2003 Ford
Mustang, a 2004 Jeep Liberty, and a 2003
Jeep Liberty. These six cars had a total
approximate value of $136,984.
At
trial, the state intends to prove that some
of the vehicles were sold over the Internet
on sites such as eBay. The state also intends
to prove that persons conspiring with Obszanski
posed as licensed locksmiths to obtain automobile
key codes from companies that provide them.
A key code is a code that is used to duplicate
a key for a specific car based on its vehicle
identification number. The codes were used
by members of the ring to steal vehicles
from automobile dealerships, including Peekskill
Lincoln-Mercury in New York.
The
second indictment, also handed up yesterday,
charges Obszanski with conspiracy, insurance
fraud, and attempted theft by deception,
all in the third degree. This indictment
alleges that between Sept. 15, 2005, and
Feb. 3, 2006, Obszanski conspired to commit
insurance fraud.
Obszanski
previously had been charged in an indictment
obtained by the Office of Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor on April 4, 2008. That indictment
charged Obszanski and Radomir Pawel Drozdzil,
23, of Staten Island, N.Y., with second-
and third-degree conspiracy, second- and
third- degree receiving stolen property,
third-degree fencing, and third-degree altering
of motor vehicle trademark identification
numbers. It alleged that between February
and November 2005, the defendants conspired
to take possession of three stolen motor
vehicles, bring them into the state, alter
the vehicle identification numbers, and
sell or use them. The stolen cars, valued
at a total of $121,636, were a 2006 Trail
Blazer stolen from DeFelice Chevrolet in
Point Pleasant, a 2005 Dodge Caravan stolen
from Ephram Dodge in Mt. Ephram, and a 2005
Cadillac Escalade stolen from a private
owner in Lavale, Canada.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the
following defendants have also been charged:
Dariusz Grabowski and Krzysztof Grabowski,
who were sentenced on March 23, 2007, to
20 years in state prison and 15 years in
state prison, respectively; Patrick Gutorski,
who was sentenced on April 5, 2007, to 10
years in state prison; Waldemar Kondzielewski,
who was sentenced on Aug. 10, 2007, to 10
years in state prison; and Artur Czubek,
who was sentenced on Feb. 16, 2007, to four
years in state prison.
Detectives Jeffrey Lorman, Jarek Pyrzanowski,
Kelly Howard and Joseph Luccarelli, Analysts
Paula Carter and Barbara Ziolkowski and
Supervising Deputy Attorney General Jacqueline
Smith were assigned to the investigation.
Deputy Attorney General Smith presented
the cases to the state grand jury.
“Frequently
insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence
of stolen automobiles and alteration of
vehicle identification numbers,” said
Prosecutor Brown. “These crimes were
uncovered as part of an insurance fraud
investigation of stolen vehicles.”
The
indictments are merely accusations 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
sentence of five years in state prison and
a criminal fine of $15,000. Obszanski may
also face of civil insurance fraud fines.
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