Movers arrested

Federal authorities charge 12 with fraud based in S. Florida.

Federal authorities have charged 12 individuals with operating a multistate South Floridabased moving scam that bilked more than 900 victims.

The scam was primarily operated out of an office in Hollywood and a warehouse in West Chester, Ohio, according to a news release by the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges were announced July 31 by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Five of 12 defendants have been arrested, including four in South Florida: Andrey Shulkin, Miami; Phyllis Ricci Quincoces (also known as Faith Ashford, Grace Rubestello, Phyllis Ricci and Phyllis Ann), Hollywood; Vladimir Pestereanu (also known as Vova), Sunny Isles Beach; and Jessica Martin (also known as Emma Ricci and Mary Austin), Tamarac.

The names of the other seven defendants remain under seal, as they have not yet been arrested, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Friday.

According to the news release, the scheme involved creating multiple companies, creating fake online reviews praising the companies, and lying to customers about how long the companies had been in business.

When contacted by customers, the defendants would provide low estimates to do their move, promising to beat competitors’ prices, the release said. Then after customers hired the companies,

workers would load their goods onto a truck and increase the price of the move. In some cases, movers stole possessions of customers who refused to pay the increased costs, the release said.

Federal law requires interstate carriers and customers to sign binding estimates for moving services prior to the start of any work. A binding estimate prevents interstate carriers from raising prices for the move after customers’ items are loaded.

In one example cited in the release, a company called First Moving and Storage loaded a customer’s goods to transport from Texas to Ohio. After loading the truck, the company increased the cost of the move and told the customer she would not receive her goods unless she paid the higher price. When the customer called to complain, she was told her items would be auctioned if she did not agree to the higher price.

The release said the scam was operated through 14 companies: First National Moving and Storage; Flagship Van Lines; Independent Van Lines; JBR Underground; National Relocation Van Lines; National Relocation Solutions; Presidential Moving Services; Public Moving and Storage; Public Moving Services; Smart Relocation Services; Trident Auto Shipping; Unified Van Lines; United National Moving and Storage; and U.S. Relocation Services.

The companies were located throughout the United States, including Florida, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, Connecticut, Colorado and Missouri. As customers filed complaints against one or another company, the defendants would shut it down and open a new company, the release said. Along the way, the operators lied to federal regulators and hid identities of the true owners so they could obtain licenses to operate, the release said.

The defendants and other employees used aliases with customers and regulators, authorities said.

Charges include conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the moving companies through racketeering activity, through multiple acts of wire fraud, theft of an interstate shipment by carrier, Hobbs Act extortion and identification fraud.

Those who think they were victimized by these operations are urged to call the Department of Transportation’s Victim Hotline at 800-424-9071.