Headstone scam: Contractor charged with defrauding almost 500 customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Authorities say Gregory Stefan would give customers false promises or simply ignore them.
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Some grieving families in New Jersey are among hundreds of victims in a headstone scam.
The U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday that 54-year-old Gregory Stefan Jr., a contractor from Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, is accused of scamming hundreds of families in a yearslong scheme.
According to an indictment by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Stefan is accused of selling custom headstones to almost 500 customers from 2018 to 2023 — with no intent to deliver.
Authorities say Stefan’s alleged scam generated more than $1.5 million through his business 1843 LLC and Colonial Memorials due to him reportedly demanding large up-front payments. Authorities say Stefan either ignored them or employed lulling tactics and assured customers that their orders would be delivered shortly without taking any steps to follow through on those assurances.
Stefan was charged with seven counts of wire fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 140 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
