Alleged Auto Scammer Indicted by Grand Jury

A Cedar Grove man arrested in February for allegedly defrauding car buyers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been indicted by a Grand Jury on two dozen theft charges, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today.

Thomas Miller, 23, was indicted in Newark Superior Court Wednesday in connection with running an online car selling scam in which he allegedly duped nearly a dozen buyers from five states and Canada out of $650,000, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said today.

Miller was arrested by Cedar Grove Police in February after five victims came forward to report they had never received vehicles they purchased through his auto business, which officials say he operated under names including Premium One Auto Leasing and New Jersey Automotive Consultants. He also posted cars for sale on Cars.com and Autotrader.com.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, Miller would pose as an automobile wholesaler, advertising high-end vehicles -- with price tags as high as $90,000 -- for brands that included Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Nissan and Land Rover. When Miller received payment -- sometimes a down payment, sometimes in full -- he did not deliver the vehicles.

Miller's alleged victims were from Pennsylvania, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois and Canada.

Acting Prosecutor Murray commended Sgt. John Kennedy of the Cedar Grove Police Department, who assisted with the investigation.

Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Walter Dirkin, director of the Financial Crimes Unit, said today that 21st century crimes are still crimes, and will be handled as such.

“These are very serious crimes. If people who use the Internet to defraud innocent parties believe the anonymity of the Internet will shield them from prosecution, they are mistaken. We will investigate and prosecute these cases with the same vigor as any other crime.’’

Miller will be arraigned on Aug. 8 before Newark Superior Court Judge Joseph Cassini III. He is free on $100,000 bail.