Delco business owner accused in headstone scams
A Gulph Mills man already facing nearly 300 counts of theft and related offenses for allegedly taking money from grieving loved ones for headstones that he never delivered is now facing similar charges in New Castle, Delaware.
Gregory Stefan Jr., 54, of the 300 block of Overlook Lane, is charged with one count of theft $1,500 or greater and one count of theft by false pretenses, both felonies, according to a press release.
“It was reported that Gregory was reaching out to victims who had deceased loved ones, meeting them at a cemetery, and designing a headstone for them,” the release states. “He would then create what appeared to be a formal contract, collect payment from the victim, and then he would later send them a letter saying his business had gone bankrupt and he could not uphold the contract.”
Stefan and his family have been the subject of numerous civil filings for nearly a decade as the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has sought to shut down various businesses allegedly conducting similarly deceptive practices.
The Delaware warrant was issued the same day Stefan was scheduled to be formally arraigned in Media on his second set of criminal charges in Delaware County.
Stefan was originally charged in Delaware County with theft and deceptive business practices in January 2021 after a woman claimed he sold her a headstone for a deceased family member in March 2019, but never delivered.
New charges filed in September allege 280 new counts of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, deceptive business practices and conspiracy.
An affidavit of probable cause written by Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Sgt. Joseph Hackett and Detective Daniel McFarland identified 69 victims to date, 49 of which are senior citizens, with total losses in excess of $190,000 between 2014 and 2022.
The affidavit states that alleged victims would often be referred to Stefan by funeral homes or receive a “cold call” from a salesperson following the death of a loved one.
A salesperson would then routinely come to the alleged victim’s home and agree upon the design, setting and location of the gravestone. A contract would be struck and the salesperson would most often insist upon payment in full, according to the affidavit.
Hackett and McFarland said the Stefan family has operated at least 23 gravestone marker companies in the Delaware Valley area. These include Stefan Memorials, G.J.S. Brothers Inc., 1843 LLC, Colonial Memorials, Stefan Memorial Group, The Memorial Company, Gallagher Memorials, Alessi Memorials, 1843 Memorials/Canledge and 1843 New Britain/Quakertown Memorials.
Criminal investigators served search warrants for Stefan family bank accounts in 2021 and allegedly uncovered large, highend personal expenditures with no evidence of payments to vendors for the items or services promised to customers.
Court records indicate
Stefan posted nominal bail of $1 on Nov. 29 for the second set of Delaware County criminal charges.
He is scheduled for pretrial conferences on both Delaware County cases Jan. 22 before Common Pleas Court Judge George Pagano. Deputy District Attorney Doug Rhoads and defense attorney Michael Malloy previously said the U.S. Attorney’s Office may soon end up taking on both of those cases.
Malloy could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday, but previously said several other criminal actions against his client in other jurisdictions have already been resolved by nontrial dispositions.
Delaware detectives said in the release that victims in New Jersey have also alleged similar criminal conduct and they believe there may be more victims in Delaware as well.
Anyone with information related to Stefan’s alleged criminal behavior in Delaware is urged to contact New Castle Detective Sara Sigoda at sara.sigoda@newcastlede.gov or 302-395-8238.
Tips can also be forwarded to the non-emergency number at 302573-2800; the criminal investigations unit at 302395-8110; through Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or online at delawarecrimestoppers.com and through the New Castle Police Facebook page. Tips can be submitted anonymously.