Sayreville Man Admits To Home Improvement Store Fraud

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A Sayreville man pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with his role in a phony check scheme that resulted in the theft of over $2 million in merchandise from multiple home improvement stores throughout the country, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

John Muyeka, 44, of Sayreville, pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court.

Starting in December 2013 and continuing through February 2017, Muyeka and other conspirators agreed to obtain merchandise or store credit from home improvement stores in locations along the eastern United States, including New Jersey, by purchasing items with fraudulent checks.

The individuals entered home improvement and other retail stores and gathered several high-value items like air conditioners or hardwood flooring. They then typically “purchased” the items either by handing a cashier a fraudulent check with a phony name but authentic account and routing numbers, or by pretending to be an authorized signatory on a store credit account that the individuals had previously opened with a phony check.

During some of the transactions, the conspirators displayed fake driver’s licenses that had been created by Muyeka, which either duplicated the phony name imprinted on the fraudulent check they presented for payment or matched the name of an authorized signatory on a store credit account that they had previously opened.

In total, the conspirators allegedly stole over $2 million in merchandise from various retailers in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

The count of misprision carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2019.