TRENTON - Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that two New Jersey residents and a Florida man were charged today in three separate state grand jury indictments for their roles in a multi-state stolen property ring and fencing operation.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, James J. Sanocki, 28, who resided in both Frenchtown and Ewing, was charged in an indictment with conspiracy, receiving stolen property and fencing, all in the second degree, as well as two counts of conspiracy, theft of moveable property, and theft by deception, all in the third-degree.

Edwin Moorhouse, III, 29, of West Palm Beach, Fla., was charged in a separate indictment with third-degree conspiracy and third-degree theft by deception.

The third man, Laurence B. Conner, 27, of Glassboro, was charged in an additional indictment with third-degree conspiracy and third-degree theft of moveable property.

According to Director Paw, the indictment returned by the state grand jury against Sanocki alleges that between 2001 and 2002, in New Jersey, Kentucky, and elsewhere, Sanocki conspired with other persons to knowingly receive stolen property and sell, or fence, the stolen property to others. The stolen items allegedly include two tractors, nine motorcycles, several trailers, a dump truck, various other pieces of equipment including a Bob Cat skid steer loader, and several all-terrain vehicles.

The indictment further alleges that Sanocki was involved in a separate conspiracy to falsely report to the Coconut Creek, Fla., Police Department that Moorhouse’s 2001 Honda Prelude had been stolen. The Honda was later recovered in Kentucky.

A separate indictment charged Moorhouse with conspiring with Sanocki to give the Prelude to a third individual involved in the conspiracy in November 2001. According to the indictment, Moorhouse allegedly reported the car stolen the next day to the Coconut Creek Police and subsequently filed a claim with Allstate Insurance. As a result, Allstate paid more than $23,000 to settle the fraudulent claim.

The indictment against Moorhouse also alleged that he conspired with Sanocki and assisted in the July 2002 theft of a 1996 Pontiac Trans-Am.

A third indictment alleged that between April 13 and June 10, 2002, Conner conspired with Sanocki to fraudulently report the theft of a Suzuki motorcycle to the New Hope, Pa., Police Department. It is alleged that a false theft claim was subsequently submitted to the State Farm Insurance Company with respect to the motorcycle.

Under State law, crimes of the second degree carry a maximum punishment of 10 years State prison and a criminal fine of $150,000, while crimes of the third degree carry a maximum punishment of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000. Additionally, the defendants face civil insurance fraud fines.

The indictments were handed up to Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg in Mercer County. The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Copies of the indictments are linked to this release at www.njpublicsafety.com.

State Investigator Vincent Gaeta and Deputy Attorney General Michael A. Monahan were assigned to the investigation. Monahan presented the case to the grand jury. The Jefferson County Police Department in Louisville, Ky., greatly assisted the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor in this investigation.

“Frequently insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence of stolen automobiles and other vehicles, as well as owner initiated give ups,” Prosecutor Brown said. “This office will continue to follow evidence of fraud and theft wherever it leads.”

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.