6 events in Passaic County with a date

Court papers offer details in suspected repair scam

By: Kyle Morel
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... A New York man arrested Tuesday [10/15/2024] and accused of scamming an elderly Woodland Park resident out of more than $430,000, was reported to authorities after trying to obtain an additional $350,000, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by NorthJersey.com .
..... Abba Cohen, 42, of Flushing, was charged with second-degree money laundering, conspiracy to commit theft by deception and receiving stolen property. He was released on pretrial motoring after a court appearance Wednesday. [10/16/2024]
..... The resident, whose name was redacted from the affidavit, was reportedly approached by an "unknown individual" at his Woodland Park home in March. [2024] the individual offered to complete renovations including gutter, fascia and siding repairs that he said were needed, the document stated.
..... The resident was told he would be reported to the township and lose his home if the repairs were not completed, according to the affidavit. The price of the work came to approximately $430,000.
..... The individual later tired to get the homeowner to pay another $350,000 fro a foundation, which caused there resident to become suspicious and report the incident to police, the affidavit stated.
..... An investigation revealed the checks given by the resident to the unknown individual had been deposited into a back account owned by Cohen and transferred to numerous accounts owned by Cohen or other cr.-conspiratiors, according to the affidavit. the renovations were determined to be unnecessary and were never completed.
..... Cohen is facing the possibility of five to 10 years in prison on each of the three charges if convicted.