BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Andre Prince, an employee of a Brooklyn-based moving company, was sentenced on Wednesday to 24 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded customers by holding their belongings hostage until they paid inflated fees. The sentencing, which took place in federal court in Brooklyn, was handed down by United States Circuit Judge Denny Chin. Prince was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in December 2023 after a one-week trial. Along with the prison sentence, Prince was ordered to pay $100,000 in forfeiture.
The sentencing was announced by Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region (DOT-OIG).
“The defendant enticed victims to use the moving companies he worked for and then held their belongings hostage to substantially higher prices and the threat of auctioning them off unless they agreed to the fraudulent demands,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “For his crime of conviction, it is Prince who will be moving — to a federal prison.”
The fraudulent scheme operated between January 2017 and August 2020 and targeted more than 800 victims. Prince, a senior sales representative, worked with customer service representative Kristy Mak under the supervision of Yakov Moroz, who controlled several moving companies operating under names such as Great Moving USA, Green Movers, New City Moves, Cross Country Moving and Storage, and Movers Consulting.
The defendants attracted customers with fake online reviews and low-cost estimates for moving services. However, after customers signed contracts and their belongings were loaded onto trucks, the companies imposed additional fees that often doubled or tripled the original estimate. Customers who attempted to contact sales associates for clarification were unable to reach them and were instead confronted by drivers who threatened to withhold their belongings unless the inflated charges were paid. In a Slack conversation revealed at trial, Prince laughed at memes sent by a colleague that depicted their practice of cutting off communication with customers on moving day.
As a result of the scheme, Prince and his co-conspirators wrongfully obtained more than $3 million from their victims.
Kristy Mak, who was convicted on the same wire fraud conspiracy charge as Prince, is awaiting sentencing. Yakov Moroz, who was also charged, absconded while on pre-trial release and is currently a fugitive.