Passaic Co. Woman Charged With Fraud In Moving Company Scheme

A Passaic County woman was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud for allegedly extorting customers and making them pay increased fees for moving services, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Lola Larios, 36, aka "Michelle Jacobs," appeared in Newark federal court Thursday with Lior Atiyas, 42, who was also charged with running the scheme, Carpenito announced.

From as early as January 2016 through January 2019, Larios and Atiyas conspired to extort money from customers through their moving company, Premier Relocations LLC, and other moving companies they fruduently created, authorities allege.

They allegedly forced customers to pay the fees for moving services once the customers "were in a vulnerable state" and not able to refuse their demands, Carpenito said.

The pair allegedly low-balled customers moving prices and once their things were loaded onto moving trucks, Premier employees would, at Atiyas' and Larios' direction, drastically raise the price of the move, often two or three times greater than the quoted price. Then they would allegedly refuse to deliver the items until the customers paid the increased price, Carpenito said.

They allegedly extorted more than $400,000 from customers, Carpenito said.

Atiyas and Larios each face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain to the defendants or loss to the victims, Carpenito said.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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