Investigations

On November 19, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Lola Larios pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On November 20, Lior Atiyas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

 

According to court documents and statements made in court, Atiyas devised a scheme to enrich himself and his moving company. He used several names to conceal his company’s true identity, including Premier Relocations LLC, Metro Van Lines, Inc., and others. Between January 2016 and January 2019, Atiyas and Larios, Atiyas’ employee, extorted customers by quoting them "low ball" price estimates for moving household goods. Once the goods were loaded on trucks, Atiyas and Larios directed employees to raise moving prices to totals that were often two or three times more than initial quotes. Customers were refused their goods until they paid the higher prices.

 

Atiyas also admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by generating false paystubs and employment documents to obtain Medicaid benefits for an uncharged conspirator.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-OIG and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.