Headstone vendor admits to $1.5M scam defrauding hundreds of grieving NJ and PA families
The man routinely demanded large up-front payments—frequently requiring 100% of the total purchase price.
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A Pennsylvania man faces over a century in federal prison after pleading guilty to running a multi-state headstone scam that defrauded hundreds of grieving families across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while failing to report any of the stolen income on his taxes.
Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 56, of Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing a false tax return, according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
Court documents detail that between January 2018 and September 2023, Stefan operated 1843 LLC and Colonial Memorials, two custom headstone and engraving companies. Through these businesses, Stefan targeted nearly 500 vulnerable customers who were attempting to purchase memorials for deceased loved ones.
Stefan routinely demanded large up-front payments—frequently requiring 100% of the total purchase price. Prosecutors stated he took the money knowing he would not deliver the monuments on the promised timeline, if at all.
When families repeatedly reached out to check on the status of their heavily overdue orders, Stefan either ignored them entirely or used "lulling tactics," falsely assuring them that the headstones would arrive shortly while taking absolutely no steps to complete the work. In total, Stefan pocketed more than $1.5 million from victims without ever delivering the merchandise or issuing refunds.
While collecting over a million dollars from the scam, Stefan completely hid the revenue from the IRS. On his federal income tax returns, he falsely reported that he earned zero income for four consecutive years, from 2018 through 2021.
The scope of his fraudulent operation extended well beyond a single jurisdiction. As part of his federal plea agreement, Stefan accepted responsibility for similar crimes charged in 10 local cases stretching across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Those tri-state cases resulted in an additional $210,000 loss to local families.
A sentencing date has not yet been determined, but Stefan faces a maximum possible penalty of 152 years in prison for his actions.
