TRENTON
Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Stephen J.
Taylor announced that an Essex County man
has been sentenced for his role in a multi
county automobile theft ring.
According
to Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald
Chillemi, Terrence Simonson, 31, of Newark,
was sentenced yesterday (June 8) by Superior
Court Judge Michael A. Petrolle in Essex
County to five years of probation conditioned
upon his serving 457 days in the Essex County
jail, which he has already served, and was
also ordered to perform 250 hours of community
service. Simonson’s sentence was based
on his Feb. 9 guilty plea to third-degree
fencing and third-degree aggravated assault.
The charges were contained in a state grand
jury indictment returned on April 15, 2010.
In
pleading guilty, Simonson admitted that
he was involved in the sales of a 2009 Nissan
370Z valued at $35,000 and a 2008 BMW 750
valued at $85,000, knowing that they had
been stolen. Simonson also admitted that
on Nov. 10, 2009, when law enforcement officers
of the Essex/Union Auto Theft Task Force
attempted to stop motor vehicles driven
by Simonson and another person in the parking
lot of a fast food restaurant in Irvington,
the two men fled and attempted to cause
serious bodily injury to the officers by
ramming their police vehicles.
Yesterday’s
sentencing was part of an investigation
into a multi county automobile and motorcycle
theft ring. On Nov. 10, 2009, detectives
from the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
and officers from the Essex/Union Auto Theft
Task Force arrested six individuals in Newark
who were believed to be involved in the
automobile theft trafficking ring.
Among
the six individuals was Demond Conley, 37,
of Irvington, who was sentenced in January
to six years in state prison, including
three years of parole ineligibility. Conley’s
sentence was based on his guilty plea to
second degree charges of leading an auto
theft trafficking network and eluding police.
Tito Moses, 37, of Morrisville, Pennsylvania,
was sentenced on Sept. 22, 2010 to five
years in state prison following his guilty
plea on March 3, 2010 to second-degree fencing.
Kelli Coleman, 41, of Newark, was sentenced
on Sept. 22, 2010 to three years of probation.
She was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution
and a $5,000 civil insurance fraud fine,
and was also ordered to perform 150 hours
of community service. Coleman had previously
pleaded guilty to third-degree insurance
fraud.
Detective
Jarek Pyrzanowski and former Deputy Attorney
General John Higgins were assigned to the
investigation. They were assisted by Detectives
Wendy Berg and Amy Carson. Deputy Attorney
General Nicole Rizzolo represented the state
at the sentencing. Acting Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor Chillemi thanked the DCJ Gangs
& Organized Crime Bureau Central Squad,
the Port Authority of New York & New
Jersey Police, and Keystone Insurance/Midlantic
AAA Insurance Company for their assistance
in the investigation.
Acting
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi 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 at 1
877 55 FRAUD, or visiting the Web
site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org.
State regulations permit a reward 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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