Four New Jersey Men Arrested in Alleged Adjuster Scam

TRENTON, New Jersey – Four Mercer County men and six of their associated businesses were charged Wednesday with first-degree conspiracy and money laundering in connection with a bank scheme involving the deposit of nearly $1.4 million in phony or forged checks related to insurance claims, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Trenton residents Wayne M. Bessant, Reyshauwn Barlow, Rayshawn Kelly, and Rashon Smith and their associated companies – Hoffman Restoration, LLC; Best Way Restoration, LLC; Wayne Enterprises Since 1981; Fast Cash Investments, LLC; JLaw & Investors, LLC; and Group of LJNMB&W, LLC – were charged in an indictment handed by a state Grand Jury in Trenton today.

The defendants allegedly conspired in a scheme to set up several phony bank accounts in the name of People’s Property Adjusters (“PPA”), a West Deptford company that assists insureds in submitting claims against homeowner insurance policies.

The defendants allegedly used the phony accounts to deposit forged insurance payout checks stolen from PPA, and also to deposit phony PPA checks purportedly made out to defendant-controlled bank accounts. The defendants then used the phony accounts to transport the illicit funds to other bank accounts, official checks, and/or other financial instruments under the control of the four men or companies associated with them, according to the indictment.

The defendants are charged as follows:

First-degree crimes carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $200,000; second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000; and third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000.

Source: New Jersey Attorney General’s Office