HARRISON —
A Harrison man has pleaded guilty in a scheme to falsify an insurance claim on a used $139,000 Bentley he purchased with his parents and reported stolen after it was torched, state authorities have announced.
N.J. Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor said John Jarzabek, 27, pleaded to second-degree insurance fraud at a hearing in Bergen County Superior Court earlier this month. As part of the plea agreement, the state reportedly will recommend a four-year prison term when he is sentenced Oct. 14.
Jarzabek and his parents — Chester Jarzabek, 63, and Anna Jarzabek, 62 — were accused of conspiracy, insurance fraud and other offenses for allegedly falsifying a loan application to buy the pre-owned luxury vehicle, the attorney general’s office stated.
In pleading guilty, John Jarzabek admitted to misrepresenting to an insurance company that the car had been stolen when it was not, the AG reported. The charges against the parents are pending.
According to the state, Jarzabek and his parents purchased the Bentley from D.I.B. Leasing in Teterboro, a now-defunct dealership where the younger Jarzabek worked. The trio were also accused of providing bogus documents to inflate their income to obtain financing for the car.
Michael Ricciardi, 54, of Wayne, a bookkeeper for D.I.B., previously pleaded guilty to third-degree conspiracy for his role in the scheme, and the dealership’s general manager, Hector Marquez, 43, of Monroe, has pleaded guilty to second-degree insurance fraud, the AG said.
Among the agencies cited for their assistance in the investigation was the Harrison Police Department.
— Karen Zautyk
