Salesman for Moving Company That Held Goods Hostage Gets 2-Year Sentence
The New York Times
Andre Prince, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, used a “stage name” as he worked for companies that also frequently swapped identities.
As anyone who has hired a moving company in New York City can attest, plenty can go awry.
Jumbo trucks have to navigate narrow streets. Bringing bulky furniture into a small elevator requires the spatial perception of a Tetris master. And even the most carefully packed or heavily padded items might arrive in pieces after jouncing over potholes.
But between 2017 and 2020, customers of several affiliated companies with names like First Class Moving and Storage, Green Movers of America Inc. and simply Great Movers Inc., had a more serious concern: Would the movers trying to extort money ever return their possessions?
Two people accused of involvement in a scheme to hold cargo hostage were convicted in Federal District Court in Brooklyn last year of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A judge determined that the scam had cheated some 800 customers out of $800,000.
On Wednesday, one defendant, Andre Prince, who had been accused of using fake names and misleading potential customers while working as a sales representative for some of the fraudulent companies, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Facing Judge Denny Chin, Mr. Prince said, “I would just like first and foremost to apologize for everything that transpired.”
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