Woodbridge Man Accused Of Scamming $1M Out Of Friends, Family
Most of his 40 alleged victims live in Staten Island; many are elderly and work as public servants such as police officers and nurses. Vincent Villafane Cruz, a 28-year-old self-employed photographer and graphic designer from Woodbridge, New Jersey, is accused of stealing $1 million from his friends and family in a video game business scheme. Most of his 40 alleged victims live in Staten Island, many of whom are elderly and public servants. Cruz convinced people he knew across the country to invest in his scheme, claiming he could take advantage of the global chip shortage. However, prosecutors say he misappropriated substantially all of the money for his own benefit, including buying a luxury car, sports gambling, and partial repayments to investors. The case against Cruz is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys based out of Brooklyn.
Published : 5 months ago by Carly Baldwin in Tech
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A young man from the Fords section of Woodbridge is accused of scamming $1 million out of his family and friends in a video game business scheme, federal prosecutors in New York City said Thursday.
The man is Vincent Villafane Cruz, also known as "Vinny," 28. He lives in Fords, but works primarily in Staten Island as a self-employed photographer and graphic designer. He was indicted the week of Dec. 4 by a New York City grand jury.
The case against him is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys based out of Brooklyn. That is because most of his 40 alleged victims live in Staten Island; many are elderly and work as public servants such as police officers and nurses. Many lost large portions of their savings, said U.S. Attorneys.
However, Cruz convinced people he knew across the country to invest in his scheme. Prosecutors say he solicited money from friends and family. In total, federal prosecutors say he took approximately $1 million in total from his 40+ victims. U.S. Attorneys say that between 2021 and May of this year, Cruz persuaded people he knew to invest with him in the purchase of graphics cards for gaming laptops. He told people his business plan was to buy and resell graphics cards for gaming laptops, claiming he could take advantage of the global chip shortage.
But it does not appear he bought and sold any gaming cards as he claimed, said prosecutors. Instead, they say he misappropriated substantially all of the money for his own benefit, including buying a luxury car, sports gambling and to make partial repayments to investors. Federal prosecutor just unsealed the indictment against Cruz Thursday. He is being represented by the Brooklyn public defender's office.