Some crimes of "Property Theft" are often considered at the bottom of the ladder in the endeavors of law enforcement and often are considered "a civil matter." Victims are often told to seek recourse with a private attorney rather than by the police. However, there is nothing petty or victimless than "Property Theft" to a person who has had their personal property stolen by moving companies who operate on fraud, deceit and with an objective to extort monies and/or their valuables from unsuspecting victims who believe they are dealing with reputable individuals.
Here is a very sad and tragic story of one lady who moved from Haslett, Michigan, a suburb in Lansing to the Northwest after working as a nurse at Sparrow Hospital. She accepted a new position in the Northwest and made plans to move with her family. She went online and found a company in New Jersey named Reliance Relocation Services, 295-299 Newark Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07032. Mailing address; 69 Erie Street, Apt #1, Jersey City, NJ 07032. Josh Avramovich is listed as president of the company. According to insurance and licensing they have no authority to be engaged in business as their licenses were revoked on June 26. DOT # 1645880 & MC # 606115.
On May 29 Avramovich spoke with the victim, and gave her a quote of $1,600.00 for the move. A deposit was needed to secure the pickup and she paid $240.00 on a debit card to Reliance. The moving van was supposed to show up on June 29th to transport all her personal property to the new home in Oregon. It did not arrive on the date specified and she was forced to leave with a friend handling the details of the pick-up. On July 3rd two males arrived at her home, one of the men describing himself as an Israeli. They arrived in a standard size battered Budget rental truck. The Israeli male stated that they needed to be paid $4,000.00 and the cost of the move to the Northwest could be up to $7,700.00.
The friend helping the victim called her and advised that the pair claimed not to be from Reliance but it was from Accurate Movers in New Jersey. She asked if they were authorized to pick up the property since she expected a van from Reliance. Within minutes a call came in purportedly from Avramovich approving the move by the two men. He stated he would work out the $1,600 payment when items were delivered to the Northwest. The two men then loaded the property into the truck and made two trips to an unknown location to "store" the items. Neither the victim nor her friend knew this and it was believed the property would be placed on a van for shipment to the Northwest. After the men left for the 2nd time with all her worldly possessions know one had heard from them again until Ms. Burgess determined that the movers wanted up to $5,000.00 for payment. At that point she was dealing with a Joseph or Yosef Ashdot who claimed he was DBA Accurate Moving Services of New Jersey.
The victim contacted an acquaintance in Florida and was referred to me on the matter, Since July 20 I have been investigating this fraudulent scheme on her behalf and at no cost to the the vuctim's family. I believed all along that this company and the parties never had any intention of moving her property to Oregon. Despite Ashdot at first claiming that he did not pick up the items I was able to ascertain that Yosef Ashdot, in fact, came from New Jersey with a Budget rental truck accompanied by one other person. I was able to determine that of the nearly 50 facilities in the Lansing area that rent storage units I located the unit that Ashdot rented on July 3 in his own name using a New York commercial drivers license for identification.
At the present time the matter has been under investigation by the Meridian Township Michigan Police Department. That agency and its investigators are fully examining all the issues for any violations of law. The victim in this matter has also requested assistance from law enforcement authorities in New York and New Jersey as well as other agencies. Much more will be posted on this matter but it just goes to show you that a person must carefully investigate any company they are doing business with online or in person.
This woman is a good person and was trying to save some money for relocation to a new job. Unscrupulous people in our society too often take advantage of others. Mr. Ashdot, how do you live in a home at 13 Saint Andrews Drive in Washington, NJ valued at nearly 400,000.00 yet you show income for only $60,000.00. There are many questions yet to be asked and we will get the answers. Ashdot, Avramovich, Accurate Movers, SpeedLink, Reliance…whoever you are? This scheme is going to be exposed. You can run, but you can’t hide. An interesting note is that in my dealing with Ashdot over the last few days he sent me a "general release" agreeing only to return the property if paid $1,600.00 and the victim would have to contact all the law enforcement agencies where she has complained and withdraw her charges. The bold face of his letter clearly demonstrates an intent to extort monies.
If anyone has any information about these people or has been defrauded please contact me immediately and I will pass along your information to the proper law enforcement jurisdiction.
This gray area of the law needs to be more defined to give local police, state and federal prosecutors better authority to enforce these type of crimes. These crimes are not victimless and they are not minor property crimes. Not only are people defrauded out of money but many lose lifelong valuables that may not appear an assets to some, but to those who lose them, they are treasures that are lost forever.
I’d like to mention one important issue. The storage facility is in no way associated with this dubious bunch and their questionable practices. Ashdot placed the property in this facility at random.US Storage Depot in Lansing, Michigan is to be highly commended and is a reputable company doing business in Michigan. It does not condone any unethical, fraudulent, or illegal practices.
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have information about this type of crime or the persons involved.
Jim Carlin, Justinian Investigative Services
269.963.7068
Email - [email protected]
Http://www.youtube.com/watch? V=jV2FySLMxNc
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