TRENTON
-Attorney General Peter C. Harvey and
Vaughn L. McKoy, Director, Division of
Criminal Justice, announced that the Division
of Criminal Justice has charged four members
of an Ocean County family with operating
a sophisticated criminal enterprise which
illegally obtained hundreds of thousands
of dollars in cash and luxury merchandise
by employing various mortgage, real estate,
bank fraud, and identity theft schemes.
It is charged that the family members
then used Atlantic City casinos to launder
the illegally obtained cash.
According to Criminal Justice Director
McKoy, a 28-count State Grand Jury indictment
charged Antwan Issa (father), 62, Robert
Issa (Antwan’s son), 41, Roger Issa
(Antwan’s son), 30, and Rita Issa
(Roger’s wife), 35, all formerly
of 400 Carter Ave., Pt. Pleasant Beach,
Ocean County, with the crimes of racketeering
conspiracy (first degree), racketeering
(first degree), money laundering (first
degree), theft by deception (2nd degree),
identity theft (2nd degree), use of personal
identifying information of another (2nd
degree), uttering a forged instrument
(3rd degree), possession of forgery devices
(3rd degree), theft by unlawful taking
(3rd degree), receiving stolen property
(3rd degree), forgery (4th degree), and
falsifying records (4th degree). Antwan
and Robert Issa are currently incarcerated
in federal prison on parole violations,
while Roger and Rita Issa remain in custody
in the Monmouth and Ocean County jail
respectively after being arrested on state
charges.
The State Grand Jury indictment charges
that from November, 2002 through March,
2004, the Issa family engaged in a racketeering
conspiracy to accumulate wealth through
various financial schemes, including mortgage
and real estate fraud, bank fraud, theft
by deception, and identity theft.
The indictment alleges that the Issa’s
devised various financial schemes and
that each family member assumed specific
roles to successfully perpetrate the illegal
activity. The indictment charges that
among various creative schemes devised
to steal money, the Issa’s created
a non-existent bank, complete with telephone
numbers answered by family members to
verify the issuance of fraudulent checks;
assumed false identities of various persons,
including other family members; purchased
legitimate travelers checks using bogus
bank checks; the purchase of expensive
luxury items, again using bogus bank checks;
and the laundering of thousands of dollars
is stolen monies through several Atlantic
City casinos.
The indictment charges that in November,
2002, Robert, Roger, and Rita Issa assumed
the identity of a relative, Dolly Issa,
and sold Dolly’s residential property
without her knowledge. As a result of
the sale, the Issa’s obtained $87,947
from the sale of the property located
at 130 Tamarack Drive, Wayne, Passaic
County. The indictment charges that a
second real estate fraud occurred when
Robert Issa posed as a financial expert,
befriended a doctor under the guise of
providing assistance to obtain a loan,
and then used the doctor’s financial
and personal information to fraudulently
apply for and obtain a $450,000 mortgage
purportedly to purchase a Toms River,
Ocean County, residence. It is charged
that a portion of the proceeds of the
Toms River real estate purchase were laundered
through an Atlantic City casino.
Additional counts in the indictment charge
that in January, 2004, Robert Issa made
arrangements to rent space at a Neptune
City, Monmouth County, storefront to open
a Bank United branch - Bank United is
a nonexistent bank. Using the guise of
the bank, it is alleged that “official”
Bank United checks were printed and then
used to purchase valid AAA VISA Travelers
checks. The VISA Travelers checks, in
combination with fraudulent Bank United
checks, were used in February and March
to purchase two Rolex watches valued at
$43,000 and a 4.85 carat diamond necklace
and a 2.5 carat diamond bracelet priced
at $11,000. Additionally, it is charged
that Rita Issa deposited $55,000 at the
Borgata Casino while Roger Issa deposited
$61,000 in VISA Travelers checks at the
Tropicana Hotel & Casino (all alleged
to be purchased with bogus Bank United
checks). After minimal gaming activity,
the Issa’s withdrew the balance
of the monies in cash.
Yet other charges contained in the grand
jury indictment allege that Robert and
Rita Issa opened various bank accounts
at Commerce Bank by depositing minimal
amounts of money drawn on fraudulent Bank
United checks and, through a series of
deposits and withdrawals, stole more than
$142,600 in Commerce Bank funds. Additionally,
it is charged that in November, 2003,
Robert Issa (under an assumed name) rented
a furnished home in South Brunswick, Middlesex
County, and stole the household furnishings,
including a large freezer, a large-screen
television, china and a computer system.
The investigation resulted in the March
3, 2004, arrest of Roger and Rita Issa
at their 400 Carter Avenue, Pt. Pleasant
Beach residence by U.S. Marshals. Antwan
and Robert Issa were subsequently arrested
for violating federal parole. A search
warrant of the 400 Carter Avenue residence
uncovered various forms of false identification,
jewelry items, check books, and other
forged and/or false documents related
to the various alleged financial scams.
Also seized was a late model stolen Cadillac.
Director McKoy noted that on June 2, the
Division of Criminal Justice - Civil Forfeiture
Bureau, filed forfeiture proceedings seeking
to obtain the proceeds of the alleged
illegal activity, including more than
$70,000 in cash, various items of jewelry,
antique coins, and assorted electronic
equipment seized as part of the investigation.
The State Grand Jury indictment was handed-up
to Mercer County Superior Court Judge
Neil H. Shuster on March 15. The case
has been assigned to the Atlantic County
Superior Court for trial. An indictment
is merely a charge; the defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation was coordinated by Deputy
Attorney’s General Andrew Butchko
and Kerry Menchen assigned to the Division
of Criminal Justice - Casino Prosecutions
Bureau. The investigation was conducted
by the Dover Township Police Department
and New Jersey State Police detectives
assigned to the Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Additional information, along with a copy
of the State Grand Jury indictment, is
available via the Division of Criminal
Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org.
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