Abington Twp. Man Charged In Furniture Fraud Scheme

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — A Rydal man faces up to 23 months in prison after being sentenced in a furniture fraud scheme in Chester County, authorities said.

Matthew Kaplan, 37, of Rydal, was sentenced to 6 to 23 months in prison on Jan. 29 following a guilty plea to charges of deceptive business practices and related offenses.

Kaplan —who owns M. Kaplan Interiors, a furniture store — defrauded numerous customers who had ordered and paid for furniture that was never delivered, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said.

As part of his sentence, Kaplan must pay $530,203.92 in restitution to all the victims involved in the case. As of the date of sentencing, Kaplan had already paid $120,000 towards this restitution.

Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said that the victims had chosen to support Kaplan's business because they wanted to buy from a local establishment. De Barrena-Sarobe added that instead of providing an excellent product, Kaplan took money from these victims.

District Attorney de Barrena-Sarobe further said that Kaplan knew his business would not be able to deliver the furniture that customers had ordered.