Prosecutor: $531,120 Stolen In Identity Theft Case In Morris Co.

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Two men were arrested this week in Morris County on charges of identity theft, theft by deception and conspiracy related to $531,120 in loans illegally taken out in the name of the victim in the case.

According to a press release from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the scam began sometime during 2016. Authorities said Mario Reis, the now 58-year-old suspect, contacted the victim, saying he needed funds to support his home heating oil company J&M Fuel LLC. At the time, the victim invested $35,000 into Reis' company.

On July 1, 2019, the victim contacted police in Mount Olive saying he or she had received a letter from a company named CAN Financial stating the victim's request for a loan had been denied, but the victim had not applied for a loan.

The victim then found out an approximate $175,000 had been taken out in his or her name, causing his or her personal finances to be frozen for lack of payment.

Police said an investigation found around $531,120 in loans had been taken out in the identity theft scheme and had been deposited into J&M Fuel and spent by Reis on personal and other expenses.

Prosecutors allege Reis conspired with 70-year-old Michael Kurzyna of Netcong, a loan broker who is accused of passing fraudulent information to the end lender. According to the statement from prosecutors, Kurzyna agreed to broker the loans knowing Reis was trying to bypass certain loan criteria and requirements.

Today, authorities say, the amount of the defaulted loans is approximately $281,906.

Reis is charged with a count of identity theft, a county of theft by deception, a count of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception, a count of conspiracy to commit theft by deception, a count of forgery, a count of forgery — uttering and one count of false government documents.

Kurzyna is charged with a count of conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp thanks the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Specialized Crimes, Financial Crimes Unit and the Mount Olive Police Department for their combined efforts in investigating this case.