Newark Moving Company Charged With Fraud, Scamming Customers

Owners of a Newark moving company are facing criminal charges for allegedly scamming customers and committing fraud.

Authorities say that the owners of Fast Moving Van Lines, which has an address at 39899 Balentine Dr. Ste. 200, operated a ring of moving companies in the San Jose area under various aliases including ASAP Relocations, America’s Best Movers, Champion Movers, Quick Quotes for Moving and Encore Movers.

Eight company officials and employees were charged earlier this week with felony theft, tax fraud and money laundering in connection to a bait-and-switch scheme.

According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the companies would low-ball customers to lure them in. When the moves were in progress, the companies would add hidden charges for packing and packaging — doubling or tripling their initial quotes. If customers complained, the company would threaten to hold furniture and add storage charges until customers paid up.

Three former company employees were arraigned Monday, and five more had warrants out for their arrest at the time.

Those facing charges are: company principal Roni Hayon, 36, of San Jose and his wife and office manager Adii Therese Karter, 32; office manager Adalinda “Linda” Reyna-Mendoza, 27; salesman Wayne Allen, 53; manager and foreman Maoz Kadesh, 36; manager and salesman Ido Or, 37; manager and foreman Noam Israeli, 29; and foreman Elazar Nisanov.

Allen, Kadesh and Reyna-Mendoza pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.

The charges came to light after a four-year, multi-agency investigation uncovered hundreds of victims. Investigators also found that unreported cash was being used to pay workers under the table and being fed to an overseas account, which Hayon and Karter were using to fund a luxurious lifestyle that included his and hers Mercedes-Benz cars, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The news might not come as a surprise to the various companies' customers.

Fast Moving Van Lines’ Yelp page features four one-star reviews describing horror stories of overcharging, late deliveries and “lost” items.

“DO NOT USE this moving company.  I had items moved from CA to FL.  They delivered my items 3 weeks late.  My 1 box of valuables were supposedly ‘lost.’ The mover who picked up my stuff was extremely rude and sarcastic.  Please use another mover!” one Yelp user wrote.

One customer was even inspired to create the website ASAPRelocationsScam.com. "Avoid these vampires operating from San Jose California, that are sucking the blood of the San Francisco Bay area shippers," the website's creator writes.

Prosecutors in the case are using it as a caution to those who may be seeking moving services.

“Consumers should carefully check out moving companies before they schedule a moving date,” prosecutor Martha Donohoe said in a statement Monday. “Check the company’s registration, search Better Business Bureau and Yelp ratings, and get an in-home visual estimate in advance of moving day. You can’t always tell, but you can lower the odds that you will end up the victim of a shady operation.”

Have you used Fast Moving Van Lines or any of their alias companies? What was your experience? Who are your go-to movers?