Police: Maplewood Business Involved in Fraud Scheme

The Maplewood Police Department warned residents Monday of a local business allegedly defrauding clients.

The company, TGC Movement, located at 1980 Springfield Ave., is involved in an alleged scheme to defraud clients with promises to reduce their debt by 35 percent for a nominal fee, Maplewood Police said.

“The department has received in excess of 20 complaints reporting that the proprietor of the company, Mr. Germaine Theodore, has taken money in advance, from clients in exchange for a promise to settle their debt without actually making payments to creditors and other debt holders,” the Maplewood Police Department said in a written statement.

Newark Star Ledger’s Karin Price Mueller, who writes a column called “Bamboozled,” on Monday detailed an interaction a Bloomfield resident had with the company in which she paid $562.20 to apply to her debts. 

“That’s when she met some other TGC customers who had the same experience as Clements,” the column states. “They said they gave the company money to pay their bills, but none of their creditors received any payments from TGC.”

The article also cites public records, which show "Germaine Theodore spent seven years and 15 days behind bars for a host of offenses, including passing bad checks, theft by deception, identity theft, sale of a false driver’s license, forgery and weapons charges."

The Maplewood Police Department asks citizens to report any interaction they may have had with TGC Movement or Theodore that indicates suspicious or fraudulent activity.

“The Maplewood Police Department has been in contact with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office concerning this investigation,” police said.