A Florida man, Andre Prince, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for his role in a moving scam that defrauded an estimated 800 victims of around $3 million.
Prince, 45, from Taramac, Florida, was involved in a scheme where customers were tricked into hiring fraudulent moving companies that held their belongings hostage and demanded higher payments after agreements had been made.
The sentencing, announced on August 28 by the U.S. Attorney for Eastern New York, also includes an order for Prince to forfeit $100,000.
Prince, who worked as a senior sales representative for multiple fraudulent moving companies, was arrested in April 2021 and transferred from Fort Lauderdale to New York. He was convicted in December 2023 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Victims Tricked and Extorted
The fraudulent operation ran from January 2017 to August 2020 and preyed on people moving their homes across the country. The victims were lured in by false promises of affordable moving costs, only to be hit with exorbitant surprise fees after their belongings had been loaded onto trucks. If customers refused to pay the inflated charges, the movers threatened to sell their possessions.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace emphasized the severity of the crime in a statement: “The defendant enticed victims to use the moving companies he worked for and then held their belongings hostage to substantially higher prices and the threat of auctioning them off unless they agreed to the fraudulent demands.” Peace added that Prince is now “moving to a federal prison.”
Ringleader Still at Large
Prince is the fourth person convicted in the scheme. The ringleader, Yakov Moroz, remains a fugitive after jumping bail following his arrest. Three other members of the scam have either pled guilty or been convicted. Prince’s co-defendant, Kristy Mak, who worked as a customer service representative and supervised Prince, is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2025 for her involvement in the fraud.
Kristie M. Curtis, the FBI’s Acting Assistant Director in Charge, spoke about the case, stating, “Prince utilized his skills as a sales representative to prey upon more than 800 victims undergoing a stressful event by boxing them into misleading contracts and false estimates.” She added that his move to prison reflects the FBI’s commitment to disrupting fraud schemes and deterring future scams in the moving industry.
How the Scam Worked
Prince, along with other members of the scam, worked for several moving companies controlled by Moroz. These companies operated under various names, including Great Moving USA, Green Movers, and Cross Country Moving and Storage. They attracted customers by posting fake online reviews and offering low-cost moving services.
However, once customers signed contracts and their belongings were loaded onto trucks, they were presented with new fees that often doubled or tripled the original estimate. When customers tried to reach the sales associates to dispute the charges, they were unable to make contact.
The moving companies also misled federal regulators. Co-conspirators, including Tal Ohana, directed others to submit false information to the Department of Transportation (DOT) about the ownership and location of the moving companies. This allowed them to avoid safety regulations and continue defrauding customers.
A Call for Accountability
Special Agent Christopher A. Scharf from the DOT’s Office of Inspector General praised the efforts to hold the fraudsters accountable, stating, “We will continue our vigorous efforts to root out bad actors from the moving industry and reinforce adherence to federal laws and regulations designed to protect the public.”
While Prince has been sentenced, the case is not entirely closed. With Moroz still on the run and others awaiting sentencing, federal authorities continue their pursuit of justice for the victims of this large-scale moving scam. Victims of similar fraud schemes are encouraged to report their experiences to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).