Business owner faces charges
EXETER » A man previously accused of fraudulent business practices involving a Berks County hearing aid business is facing additional charges.
Edward Grabarek Jr., 41, of Exeter Township, is being charged with an additional five counts of theft and five counts of fraudulent business practices after having previously faced those charges in November for allegedly deceiving several customers.
In August 2017, Berks County District Attorney Detectives ini-
tiated an investigation into allegations of fraudulent business practices occurring at the business of Hearing Aid Associates, 6 Hearthstone Court, Suite #204, in Exeter Township. Detectives learned that the owner/operator of the business was Grabarek and he was initially charged on November 21, 2017, and again on January 19, 2018. He has been incarcerated in Berks County Jail since Feb. 16, 2018. At that time, he was charged with defrauding a total of 12 Berks County victims, who were all over the
age of 60.
Detectives continued the investigation. As a result, detectives learned that Grabarek allegedly defrauded five additional Berks County victims who were all over the age of 60. In some instances, Grabarek created a false impression that the hearing aids they purchased were brand new, when in fact some were used, reconditioned or demo hearing aids and were not functioning properly, according to police. One victim claimed to have never received any hearing aids. In addition, Grabarek produced hearing aids that did not perform as advertised and failed to provide a refund, police allege. The
losses ranged from $1,400 to $6,350 for each victim.
On March 27, Berks County Detectives filed an additional five counts of theft by unlawful taking and five counts of deceptive or fraudulent business practices against Grabarek.
To date, Berks County Detectives have identified a total of 17 victims, all residents of Berks County, and the estimated financial loss is expected to exceed $75,000. Detectives are continuing the investigation into other possible victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Berks County District Attorney Detectives Bureau at 610-478- 7171.