YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A Clifton admitted in court today in Hackensack that he bought $275,000 worth of stolen coffee makers and other appliances that he resold on eBay, Amazon and elsewhere.
Abraham Baruchov, 49, is looking at three to five years in prison for today’s guilty plea, under which he also agreed to repay JC Penney $275,000 for the stolen products.
State authorities previously seized $210,000 in cash and bank accounts that will go toward that amount, acting state Attorney General John J. Hoffman said this afternoon.
From January 2013 through February 2014, Baruchov received more than 1,400 items of merchandise worth approximately $275,000 that other bought online with bogus credit cards, authorities said.
These included Keurig and Cuisinart coffee makers that were shipped by JC Penney “to addresses used by Baruchov” or “directly to his online customers,” Hoffman said.
JC Penney referred the case to the Division of Criminal Justice after its investigators traced stolen goods to Baruchov, he said.
“The huge volume of online commerce being conducted by major retailers and by individuals who use consumer-to-consumer services has spawned a new breed of criminals who capitalize on the anonymity of the Internet,” Hoffman said. “Baruchov was selling stolen appliances to purchasers he never met, in some cases without ever laying his hands on the merchandise.”
DCJ detectives arrested Baruchov on Feb. 17, 2014 on charges including receiving stolen property, fencing and money laundering.
The lead investigator was Detective Abraham Aquino of the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau. Deputy Attorneys General Janet R. Bosi and Naju Lathia prosecuted the case and took the guilty plea today for the Division of Criminal Justice.
Superior Court Judge Eugene H. Austin set sentencing for Feb. 6.
