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Investigations

Date

San Jose Man Sentenced to Jail and Fined $83,084 for Household Goods Scheme

On August 30, 2013, in Superior Court, County of Santa Clara, California, Ruben Salas, a resident of San Jose, California, was sentenced to serve 64 months in jail and ordered to pay $83,084 in fines for his participation in a scheme to defraud moving customers. Salas, a Bekins Van Lines sales employee, and other employees, including the owner, lured moving customers with lowball quotes. Once the moves were in progress, customers were told their furniture and other belongings would be taken to storage unless they paid additional fees for packing and packaging supplies. 

We conducted this investigation jointly with the Consumer Protection and Workers' Compensation Units of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Franchise Tax Board, the Alameda and Monterey County District Attorneys' Offices, the FBI, with assistance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.