Courts and Law

Brooklyn moving company employees convicted in a $3 million customer fraud scheme

Moving company owner Yakov Moroz still at large with 800 victims

December 13, 2023 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor
Operating out of Brooklyn, moving companies like Great Moving USA and Green Movers, who were owned by Yakov Moroz, had employed tactics such as being unreachable during the move, and holding personal belongings hostage, to drive up prices and take advantage of movers. Great Moving USA and Green Movers were also known to use fake online reviews and deceptive low-cost moving quotes to attract customers.
Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP.
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Two employees of a Brooklyn moving company were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Monday, marking the culmination of a despicable scheme that defrauded customers of more than $3 million. 

Kristy Mak, 34, and Andre Prince, 45, both of Florida, were convicted following a weeklong trial presided over by U.S. Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin. The defendants now face up to 20 years in prison each, with the amount of forfeiture to be determined by the court.

“The jury found that these defendants conspired in a despicable scheme to steal from their victims when they were most vulnerable and at the mercy of crooked movers holding their worldly possessions hostage,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. 

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“No person who contracts for moving services should be exploited in this manner. Make no mistake, this was not a disagreement over billing, rather the jury found the defendants were part of a cunning and deliberate scheme to defraud customers and were held accountable,” he said.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that from January 2017 to August 2020, Mak and Prince were integral parts of various moving companies controlled by Yakov Moroz. These companies operated under different names like Great Moving USA and Green Movers, using fake online reviews and deceptive low-cost moving quotes to attract customers. 

Once the customers’ belongings were loaded onto trucks, they were blindsided with exorbitant additional fees. Mak and Prince, alongside their accomplices, utilized tactics such as being unreachable during the move and threatening to hold goods hostage, sometimes demanding fees double or triple the original estimate.

In one incriminating Slack message, Mak bluntly discussed revising orders to extract more money from customers, while Prince, in another conversation, acknowledged their strategy to cut off contact on the day of the move with a laughing emoji, underlining the callousness of their approach.

The president of Great Movers Inc., Yakov Moroz, who is also implicated in the fraudulent scheme, is currently a fugitive after absconding earlier this year. Over 800 victims were affected by this scheme, which wrongfully obtained more than $3 million.

 


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